Book One
by lunafan4ever
Summary: What would happen if Sirius Black and Severus Snape came across a very interesting book?  Not a Sirius/Severus pairing . Other characters will be integrated into the story line eventually. Rated for swearing.
1. An Introduction or two

Yes. This is one of those stories where the author chooses random characters and makes them read the Harry Potter series. Read at your own risk.

Any and all feedback is welcome.

Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling, and I am not making money off this.

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**Two Introductions and the Start of Something**

Sirius Black was angry.

Well perhaps angry was too strong a word, but he was certainly annoyed. It was very nearly Christmas in his seventh year at Hogwarts and he could not remember the last time he had felt less festive around the holidays. This year looked especially bleak when compared to Christmas the previous year, which he had spent at the Potters'. He almost smiled remembering the feeling he had experienced while sitting in front of the fire in the Potter's cozy living room, laughing and talking with James and his parents. It had certainly been a vast improvement over the stiff, formal dinners his mother was so fond of.

So what had changed in a year? Well sometime during the past 365 days, Lily Evans had decided that James Potter was not the arrogant toe-rag she had thought him to be, and finally agreed to go out with him. Sirius was happy for his best mate and had not complained when James began to spend more and more time with her, thereby spending less time with Sirius, Remus and Peter. (It is possible that James' three companions decided not to complain because it meant that he finally stopped griping over the fact that Lily would not look at him). No Sirius Black had not been bothered overmuch, until Lily decided to invite James to meet her family over the holidays, an invitation that certainly did not spread to include a best mate whom Lily did not like. Mr. and Mrs. Potter had invited Sirius to stay with them, but he did not want to intrude on the couple who had given him a place to stay after he finally left Grimmauld Place, so he had declined the offer. Then he learned that his other best friends, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew, were also headed home. In fact, it turned out that Sirius was the only seventh year Gryffindor who was going to experience the last Christmas of his school years in the castle.

He admitted that the first few days had gone fairly well, as he had the entire dormitory to himself and the common room was much emptier than usual, however having all the good chairs by the fire filled with first years and listening to the giggling of the fifth and sixth year girls who were trying unsuccessfully to catch his eye had gotten old very fast. After three days he did not think he could bear another minute of chattering midgets, he had to get out of there.

This was why Sirius was walking aimlessly through the corridors on the fifth floor - or was it the seventh? Either way it did not matter, he had no particular destination in mind.

Suddenly he swore and punched the wall.

"That was certainly unnecessary!" Exclaimed a portrait, looking upon him with scorn.

Sirius muttered something incomprehensible which might have been an apology, before turning down the corridor to head the other way. He had hoped that hitting something would relieve some of his aggression, but instead it gave him something else to glower about. Now his hand was smarting. He scowled at a tapestry of a wizard who appeared to be teaching trolls to dance. A rather pointless pursuit, he thought, but then again at least the wizard in the tapestry had something to do.

Sighing, Sirius turned again and decided to head back to the Gryffindor common room. At this point he was willing to do homework to take his mind off his boredom. He wished for something - anything - to do.

He had just passed the tapestry for what must have been the third time when he stopped short. A door had appeared in what had been a solid wall across from the tapestry. Figuring that whatever was on the other side of the door was very likely to be more interesting than the History of Magic essay he had planned on writing, he opened it and stepped into the room. If it was any good he could tell the other Marauders about it when they returned at the end of the break. He stepped through the doorway with a grin on his face, but the expression quickly fell away as he saw the room he walked into.

The room itself was not particularly remarkable. It was maybe half the size of a regular classroom. The walls were bare, but the wall opposite the door had several windows. The only furniture in the room were a pair of armchairs set on opposite sides of a small table near the wall to Sirius's right. What surprised Sirius was the youth who was sitting in the chair nearest the windows.

The boy in the chair was holding a book. Sirius glimpsed the words 'Harry Potter' on the cover before the person holding the book lowered it and glared at the Gryffindor. Several questions chased each other around Sirius's mind, and just when he decided to ask what the other was doing, his mouth seemed to move of it's own accord.

"What's that?"

The other youth's mouth twisted into a smirk.

"This, Black, is what we humans call a book."

...

Severus Snape was bored, there was no other way to put it. The only other seventh year Slytherins who had stayed at Hogwarts for the break were members of the Quiddich team who were training nearly all hours of the day, determined to beat Gryffindor in the next match, no matter what it took. It left the common room horribly empty, but under normal circumstances Severus would have been happy to sit in the quiet and work on his homework. Today was different. After spending nearly an hour trying to write a particularly nasty Arithmancy essay, he just gave up.

It was all Potter's fault, he thought as he walked through the mostly deserted halls. When he first heard Evans was actually dating the idiot he had not believed it. Evans was the only person outside Slytherin who did not worship the ground the great prick walked on, or at least he thought so. Then he stumbled across the two of them snogging behind greenhouse three. It had almost been enough to turn his stomach.

He and Lily had not really spoken since the incident at the lake two years ago when he had called her a mudblood. He had tried to apologise again and again, but it never did any good. Eventually he had given up, and now she was dating James Potter. A small part of his mind hinted that it was his fault, it he never said that word then maybe…

He gave his head a miniscule shake and continued walking. At first he was not sure of where he was headed, then he remembered a conversation he had overheard between two Ravenclaws about a room that appeared if you walked past the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy three times.

Severus tried to push thoughts of Lily and James from his mind as he quickened his pace and headed for the seventh floor. Staying at Hogwarts for the holidays was not a bad thing, really, it certainly beat listening to his parents row non-stop for a few weeks.

By the time he reached the tapestry his thoughts had calmed significantly. As he passed by it the first time he allowed a small smirk at the idea of teaching trolls ballet before attempting to clear his mind. He wasn't sure if a specific thought pattern was needed to access the room, having only caught the first bit of the conversation, but he figured that the magic would work better if his mind wasn't hopelessly cluttered.

Severus passed the tapestry a second time, then a third and sure enough a door appeared. He opened it and walked in.

The room was a nice one, uncluttered and simple. He saw two chairs and a small table at one end. There was a book sitting on the table. He walked over to one of the chairs and sat down, glancing out the window as he did so. There was a spectacular view of the lake and grounds. This struck him as slightly odd, but rather than puzzling over it, he elected to examine the book. On the cover was a picture of a boy who looked a lot like James Potter, he had the same stupid hair and glasses, but he also had a strangely shaped scar, like a lightening bolt, in the middle of his forehead. The boy was standing in front of the Hogwarts Express. The title of the book was 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'.

Severus snorted. If someone had written a book about one of James Potter's relatives he was surprised the git hadn't shouted it from the rooftops. He flipped it open, turning to the page with the copyright, hoping to get some idea of the time frame of the novel. His eyes bulged unpleasantly when he saw the date of publication: 1997. This book was apparently from the future. A part of him assumed that this was an elaborate prank of some sort set up by Potter, but a second, larger part of him was curious. He flipped to the back cover and read:

**Harry Potter thinks he is an ordinary boy - until he is rescued by an owl, taken to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, learns to play Quiddich and does battle in a deadly duel. The Reason…**

Severus heard the door open and looked up, repressing the urge to shudder as Sirius Black entered the room. Black was one of Potter's loyal sycophants, or (as Potter claimed) his friends. Severus glared at the Gryffindor, who looked as though he was thinking quite hard on what to say next. Just as Severus was about to say something since Black had apparently lost the ability to talk, the newcomer found his voice at last.

"What's that?"

Severus smirked at the look on the other's face, as Black seemed to realize the stupidity of his words.

"This, Black, is what we humans call a book."

...

The two teens stared at each other for a few long moments in which Sirius's hand twitched toward his wand and Severus raised an eyebrow. Then Sirius stepped inside and allowed the door to close behind him.

"What are you doing here Black?" questioned Snape, looking at the other.

"None of your business Snivellus," sneered Sirius. "What are you doing here?"

Severus rolled his eyes at the predictability of the question, but did not bother responding in the same manner as Sirius, though his eyes flashed dangerously as he spoke his next sentence.

"I overheard two Ravenclaws speaking of a secret room and thought that I would see if it was interesting."

"Looks rather dull to me Snivellus," Sirius smirked. "Now what is that book?"

"It's called 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'," said Snape. "Is that a relative of your mate Potter?"

Sirius shook his head.

"I didn't think so, not yet anyway."

"Not yet?"

"The date of publication on this book is 1997," Severus explained.

Seeing the way Sirius's eyes widened convinced Snape that the book was not a joke pulled by Potter. Potter and Black were inseparable, if Black didn't know about the book, then neither did Potter. Severus flipped the book over and read the back cover aloud:

**Harry Potter thinks he is an ordinary boy - until he is rescued by an owl, taken to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, learns to play Quiddich and does battle in a deadly duel. The Reason: HARRY POTTER IS A WIZARD!**

Severus flicked his eyes upwards and saw an odd look on Black's face. With a jolt he realized that Black looked interested in the book.

Sirius was wondering what all of this could mean: a book, from the future, about someone named Potter.

"So what do we do now?" he asked.

Snape sighed. "Well, as I see it, there are three options. The first is that you leave and go back to doing whatever it is you do when Potter's not around, but judging by the look on your face, that isn't going to happen. The second option is that I read this," here he gestured with the book, "then I give it to you and you read it. Or," and here Severus looked as though he were admitting something highly unpleasant "we could read it aloud."

"Well you're right about one thing, I won't be forgetting this any time soon. Hell, this 'Harry Potter' might be James's son for all I know!" Sirius shot a wry grin at Snape, who did not look happy at the idea of his enemy reproducing. "I don't know if I can wait for you to finish, plus who knows if I could read through all the grease stains." Severus looked like he was going to interrupt, so Sirius hurried on. "I suppose that leaves us with door three. Even though I don't like you, it seems like the best option."

"Rest assured Black, I did not offer because I like you. In fact, I think it would be best if the book, and any information in the book do not leave this room."

"Of course. Like I would want to be seen with you. Do you want to start now?"

Severus nodded curtly and opened the book to chapter one and started to read.

**Chapter One: The Boy Who Lived.**


	2. The Boy Who Lived

Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling, and all credit for the bolded text goes to her.

Any and all feedback is very much appreciated.

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read, review, favourite and/or alert.

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**Chapter One: The Boy Who Lived**

**Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet…**

"Hold on a minute," Sirius interrupted. "'The Boy Who Lived?' What's that supposed to mean?"

Severus rolled his eyes, "I do not know Black, I have not read any more than you. Although I daresay that the book is very likely about a boy who lived, since a dead person would not be very interesting to read about would he?"

Sirius scowled, but did not press the matter further.

**Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.**

"Well don't they sound peachy," Sirius remarked.

Privately Severus agreed with him, but he chose not to comment. Instead he continued reading, hoping that if he just ignored the outbursts of his companion they would finish the book faster.

**Mr Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large moustache. Mrs Dursley was thin and blond and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbours.**

Here Sirius snorted, but refrained from commenting when he saw the look on Severus's face.

**The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere.**

"Poor kid," Sirius smirked.

"What are you talking about?" The question had left Snape's mouth before he had time to stop it.

"Well Snivellus, his parents seem like a couple gits, so what chance has he got?" Sirius answered, looking smug.

Severus suppressed the urge to roll his eyes again an continued to read.

**The Dursleys had everything they wanted…**

"Lucky them," Sirius quipped, then winced slightly under the glare Severus was shooting him.

…**but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters.**

"Well I'm sure the Potters aren't too pleased to be related to you either," Sirius snarled. He didn't know if the Potters mentioned in the book had anything to do with his best friend, but the Dursleys did not sound like very pleasant people.

**Mrs Potter was Mrs Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be. The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbours would say if the Potters arrived in the street. The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son too, but they had never even seen him. This boy was another reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that.**

**When Mr and Mrs Dursley woke up on the dull, grey Tuesday our story starts…**

"If this book is all about these Dursley people, I don't think there's any point to reading it!" Sirius commented emphatically.

"Well if that's what you think, the door is right over there, don't let me stop you!" Severus retorted.

Sirius looked rather cowed, and he sank back in his chair with an expression of forced nonchalance. He looked up and saw Severus staring at him, so he gestured for his companion to continue reading.

…**there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work and Mrs Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his highchair.**

**None of them noticed a large tawny owl flutter past the window.**

**At half-past eight, Mr Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs Dursley on the cheek and tried to kiss Dudley goodbye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls. 'Little tyke,' chortled Mr Dursley as he left the house.**

"Told you that kid had no chance."

At this point Severus lost the battle raging within himself and rolled his eyes again.

**He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive.**

**It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar - a cat reading a map. For a second Mr Dursley didn't realize what he had seen - then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light. Mr Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said_ Privet Drive _****- no, **_**looking **_**at the sign; cats couldn't read maps ****or**** signs. Mr Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove towards town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day.**

"That's the spirit mate, if you tell yourself that something didn't happen it really never happened," Sirius commented dully.

**But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about.**

"Because that's something worth noticing," Sirius snorted. To his surprise Snape did not continue reading immediately.

"Cat got your tongue?" He asked sarcastically.

Severus shook his head as though he was trying to dislodge a bit of water from his ears. When he resumed his reading he did so with an incredulous tone in his voice.

**People in cloaks.**

Sirius did a double take. "Did you say cloaks?"

Severus nodded.

"Do you think they're wizards then?"

"I would assume so," Snape replied.

"Well what are they doing out in a Muggle street then? Why wouldn't they bother to put on Muggle clothes?"

Severus raised one eyebrow quizzically. "I will say this again: I have read no more than you. Why do you think I know any more than you do?"

Sirius shrugged, but said nothing. After a few moments Severus carried on.

**Mr Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes - the get-ups you saw on young people! He supposed this was some stupid new fashion.**

"Not quite," Sirius smirked.

**He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdos standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together. Mr Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak! The nerve of him! But then it struck Mr Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt - these people were obviously collecting for something…yes, that would be it. The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr Dursley arrived n the Grunnings car park, his mind back on drills.**

"This one's got a seriously one track mind," said Sirius.

Severus couldn't help but smirk at this. His Gryffindor companion had a knack for pointing out the obvious.

"…and what sort of person would become enraged because people are wearing cloaks? It's a strange sight for Muggles, but someone losing their temper over people who dress differently seems a bit over the top!" the Gryffindor finished.

Snape nodded curtly then turned back to the book. Even if Black had a point, Snape did not need his head to swell any larger than it already was.

**Mr Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. **_**He**_** didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, thought people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead.**

Snape paused, "If wizards and witches are being this careless something big must have happened."

Sirius nodded, thinking hard. He showed no signs of commenting though, so Snape continued.

**Most of them had never seen an owl even at night-time.**

"That's a strange thought isn't it," said Sirius, "never seeing an owl."

**Mr Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more.**

("Lovely man," remarked Sirius.)

**He was in a very good mood until lunch-time, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road to buy himself a bun from the baker's opposite.**

**He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. This lot were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying.**

**'The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard-'**

Snape looked as though he could not believe what he was reading. "The Potters? They're the reason our world has gone mad?"

Sirius looked impressed. "I wonder what James did," he said with excitement, "it must have been something big if everyone has thrown the Statute of Secrecy out the window."

"Black, you do realize that these Potters might have nothing to do with your precious friend?"

"Careful Snivellus," Sirius sneered, "You're starting to sound like Dursley. They're talking about James. I know it."

**'-yes, their son, Harry-'**

"Harry. D'you reckon that could be James's son?" Sirius asked the sallow youth.

"I don't know," Severus replied. He was not exactly thrilled at the idea of a mini-Potter running around.

"I wonder who his mum is?" Sirius inquired. "I know Lily finally agreed to go out with James, but it seems a bit much that they would actually get married."

This time Severus did not respond. He did not want to believe that Lily would marry someone like James Potter, but he had to admit that 'Mrs Durlsey' sounded a lot like Lily's elder sister Petunia.

**Mr Dursley stopped dead. Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it.**

**He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone…**

"A device Muggles use to communicate with one another," Severus explained quickly. He knew Black came from a family of purebloods. From Regulus's description of his family, it was unlikely that his companion knew anything about Muggles.

Sirius looked Snape in the face. "I know that," he snapped. When he saw the confused expression on Snape's face he explained. "I'm not like my parents Snivellus. I took Muggle Studies."

Severus did not know whether to admire the Gryffindor's courage or roll his eyes at his stupidity. Sirius taking Muggle Studies was a brave move, but he could only imagine how it would have strained the boy's already unstable relationship with the rest of his family. Rather than force himself to choose which action to carry out, Snape decided to continue reading.

…**and had almost finished dialling his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his moustache, thinking… no, he was being stupid. Potter wasn't such an unusual name. He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew **_**was **_**called Harry. He'd never even seen the boy. It might have been Harvey. Or Harold. There was no point in worrying Mrs Dursley, she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her - if **_**he'd**_** had a sister like that… but all the same, those people in cloaks…**

**He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door.**

"Poor person, that can't have been pleasant."

"Shut up."

"Make me!"

Snape snorted, but did not press the matter.

**'Sorry' he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell. It was a few seconds before Mr Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak.**

"That could be Flickwick, though I always thought he had more sense than that," Sirius murmured.

Severus frowned. Sirius's constant interruptions were becoming quite tiresome.

**He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passers-by stare: 'Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for…'**

Snape's voice trailed off.

"Rejoice for what? Are you going to finish that sentence?" Sirius grumbled.

Snape was staring at the page in disbelief, but he finished the paragraph in a weak voice.

**'…for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!'**

"WHAT?" Sirius yelled. He snatched the book away from Severus so that he could read the words himself. They were right at the top of the page. He chucked the book back to the Slytherin and let out a loud whoop of joy. "He's gone! He's actually gone!" He was tempted to do something extremely juvenile, like break into song, but he didn't want the other teen to have anything that could be used for blackmail, so he opted for falling back into his chair, laughing loudly.

"Do you really think this book is about the future?" Snape asked, still looking shaken.

"Yes I do. Merlin's pants! You don't think James and his family had something to do with it do you?" Sirius looked ecstatic at the very thought. "No wonder people are being so careless, that is some seriously good news. Although," he sent a sly look at his companion, "you may want to reconsider your career path Snape, it seems like being a Death Eater won't work in the long term."

It seemed, however, that Snape did not hear him. His mind was racing furiously. There was no way of knowing when this book took place, how many years had gone by. He wondered how many lives had been lost or destroyed, but most of all, he wondered what side he had taken in the fight. If his future self had become a Death Eater…

"Are you going to keep reading or are we just going to sit here all day?"

Sirius's voice broke through his mental tirade. He gave himself a few seconds to compose his voice, then continued on, in a voice that was stronger than it had been.

**And the old man hugged Mr Dursley around the middle and walked off.**

"Bet Dursley loved that," Sirius exclaimed, his voice still full of glee.

Severus's lip quirked into something that could nearly be called a smile. Sirius's enthusiasm was rather contagious.

**Mr Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle,**

("Of course he would have noticed that part of the conversation,").

**Whatever that was. He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination.**

Sirius sent the book a look of distaste. He wanted to know about his friend and Voldemort's downfall, but he was stuck hearing about this unpleasant man. He could not understand why anyone would dwell on Mr Dursley when there was the downfall of the darkest wizard in a century to focus on instead!

**As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw - and it didn't improve his mood - was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning. It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes.**

"McGonagall!" Exclaimed Sirius.

Severus looked at his strangely.

"McGonagall, she's an animagus, she can turn into a cat! She has markings around her eyes that look like her glasses!"

"But why would McGonagall by lurking around the Dursleys?"

Sirius looked unconcerned. "Who knows? But I'd wager a galleon that it's her," He looked at Snape expectantly.

"I'm not going to bet you, if that's what you want," Snape drawled.

"Why? Afraid to lose?"

Snape looked positively nasty. "No. I don't think McGonagall would spend the day after Voldemort's defeat stalking some stupid Muggles. However, I am not going to waste money on some insipid wager. We can't all inherit fortunes from sympathetic uncles," He finished bitterly.

Apparently Sirius did not have a response for that, and Snape took his silence as permission to keep reading.

**'Shoo!' said Mr Dursley loudly.**

**The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look. Was this normal cat behaviour, Mr Dursley wondered.**

"It's normal McGonagall behaviour." Sirius muttered. Severus pretended not to hear him.

**Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife.**

**Mrs Dursley had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word ('Shan't!'). Mr Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living-room in time to catch the last report on the evening news:**

**'And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls usually hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern.' The news reader allowed himself a grin. 'Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?'**

**'Well Ted,' said the weatherman, 'I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars!'**

Snape stopped. "Didn't you and Potter try something like that?"

Sirius grinned sheepishly. "Yeah. It had been raining for a week so we decided to charm the ceiling in the Great Hall to show shooting stars instead of rain. Unfortunately we, er, forgot to make them disappear before they landed and they, er, caught the teachers table on fire. We got a month's worth of detentions, but it was worth it."

**'Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early - it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight.'**

**Mr Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters…**

**Mrs Dursley came into the living-room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. 'Er - Petunia, dear - you haven't heard form your sister lately, have you?'**

When Severus didn't continue reading Sirius looked toward him. He looked shell-shocked. "What is it? That wasn't so shocking."

"Mrs Dursley's name is Petunia," he said, he looked as though he were fighting the words, trying to find a loophole in whatever epiphany had struck him.

"And…" Sirius prodded.

"Lily… Lily has a sister, an older sister, named Petunia. She doesn't like magic much," he stated, each word causing him discomfort.

"So Lily must have…"

"Married Potter, yes," Severus snapped, his voice venomous.

Sirius looked at the Slytherin. Sirius knew that Snape any Lily had been friends, but he hadn't realized that Snape liked Lily that way. Looking at his face now, however, it was obvious.

Snape cleared his throat, but when he started reading he was glaring at the book as if it would bite him if he turned away.

**As he expected, Mrs Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister.**

**'No,' she said sharply. "Why?'**

**'Funny stuff on the news.' Mr Dursley mumbled. 'Owls, shooting stars… and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today…'**

**'**_**So**_**?' Snapped Mrs Dursley.**

**'Well, I just thought… maybe… it was something to do with… you know… **_**her**_** lot.'**

Sirius swore. "They're always like this?"

"Petunia is. I don't know about the Dursley bloke. I heard Petunia was engaged but Lily and I haven't… I mean we don't… erm…" Snape trailed off lamely.

Sirius knew he was referring to the fact that Lily had not spoken to him since the incident by the lake in their fifth year at Hogwarts. Sirius almost felt like he should apologise, but to his great relief Severus started reading again before he could think of anything to say.

**Mrs Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name 'Potter'. He decided he didn't dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could, 'Their son - he'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't he?'**

**'I suppose so,' said Mrs Dursley stiffly.**

**'What's his name again? Howard, isn't it?'**

**'Harry. Nasty, common name, if you ask me.'**

"At least she knows his name," Sirius said weakly. Snape was glowering at the book, and Sirius got the feeling that he and Petunia had never had a particularly good relationship.

**'Oh, yes,' said Mr Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. 'Yes, I quite agree.'**

**He didn't say another word on the subject as they went to bed. While Mrs Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it was waiting for something.**

**Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did… if it got out that they were related to a pair of - well, he didn't think he could bear it.**

**The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters were involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs Dursley. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind… He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on. He yawned and turned over. It couldn't affect **_**them**_**…**

**How very wrong he was.**

"Why don't I like the sound of that?" Sirius asked.

**Mr Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed in the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all.**

"Yep, definitely McGonagall," piped Sirius.

"You're insane," replied Snape.

**A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground. The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed.**

**Nothing like this man had ever been seen in Privet Drive. He was tall, thin and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak which swept the ground and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice. This man's name was Albus Dumbledore.**

"I wonder what Dumbledore's doing in a place like Privet Drive," Sirius mused.

Severus shrugged.

**Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome.**

("I'll bet he does," Sirius chuckled).

**He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, 'I should have known.'**

"See Snivellus, even Dumbledore knows its McGonagall!" Sirius commented.

**He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop.**

Sirius and Severus exchanged glances. They were both highly impressed by the device.

"Dumbledore likely invented it himself," Snape said quietly. Sirius nodded in agreement.

**He clicked it again - the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left in the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him. If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street towards number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it.**

**'Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall.'**

Sirius grinned, "I told you it was-"

"Shut up," Severus hissed. Sirius stopped speaking, but the arrogant smile stayed in place.

**He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled.**

**'How did you know it was me?' she asked.**

Sirius burst in with his answer before Snape had a chance to read the one in the book. "Well there were the markings around your eyes, the fact that you gave Mr Dursley a stern look, the fact that you have been sitting perfectly still for hours, the fact that you watched for Dumbledore-"

"Black if you don't stop interrupting the story every two minutes I am going to hex you," Snape interrupted.

"I'd like to see you try," Sirius scoffed, but he kept his mouth shut.

**'My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly.'**

**'You'd be stiff if you were sitting on a brick wall all day.' said Professor McGonagall.**

**'All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here.'**

**Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily.**

**'Oh yes, everyone's celebrating alright,' she said impatiently. 'You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no - even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news.' She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window. 'I heard it. Flocks of owls… shooting stars… Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent - I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense.'**

**'You can't blame them,' said Dumbledore gently. 'We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years.'**

Sirius look shocked. His mouth shaped the words "Eleven years," but no sound came out.

**'I know that,' said Professor McGonagall irritably. 'But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumours.'**

**She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on: 'A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really **_**has **_**gone, Dumbledore?"**

**'It certainly seems so,' said Dumbledore.**

Sirius looked gleeful.

**'We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a sherbet lemon?'**

**'A **_**what**_**?'**

**'A sherbet lemon. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of.'**

**'No, thank you,' said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the time for sherbet lemons. 'As I say, even of You-Know-Who **_**has **_**gone-'**

**My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this "You-Know-Who" nonsense - for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: **_**Voldemort**_**.'**

Sirius was impressed that Snape did not shudder as he read the name, not that he would ever admit it out loud.

**Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unstitching two sherbet lemons, seemed not to notice. 'It all gets so confusing if we keep saying "You-Know-Who". I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name.'**

**'I know you haven't,' said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. 'But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know - oh, all right, **_**Voldemort**_** - was frightened of.'**

**'You flatter me,' said Dumbledore calmly. 'Voldemort had powers I will never have.'**

**'Only because you're too - well - **_**noble**_** to use them.'**

**'It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madame Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs.'**

**Professor shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, 'The owls are nothing to the **_**rumours **_**that are flying around. You know what everyone's saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?'**

**It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever 'everyone' was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another sherbet lemon and did not answer.**

**'What they're **_**saying**_**,' she pressed on, 'is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters.'**

"And they finished his snake-arse!" Sirius exclaimed. He was about to go on when he saw Snape's face. His normally sallow complexion had gone chalk white. He looked downright ill.

**'The rumour is that Lily and James Potter are - are - that they're - **_**dead**_**.'**

"No," Sirius gasped, "no, it can't be. People are mistaken, it's only a rumour…"

But Severus continued in a shaking voice:

**Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped.**

**'Lily and James… I can't believe it… I didn't want to believe it… Oh, Albus…'**

**Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. 'I know… I know…' he said heavily.**

"James is dead…. Dead… Gone... And Lily, they were together and he killed them both…" Sirius was muttering wildly to himself.

Severus was horrified, his best friend was going to be killed by the darkest wizard of all time. He desperately hoped that he did not have something to do with the attack on the Potters. He was sure to be bitter about their relationship, but to go so far as to sell them out to Voldemort? He wouldn't do that, would he? He was startled out of his thoughts by a yell.

"HARRY! They had a son, Harry, what happened to him?" Sirius looked at Severus desperately. The Slytherin found his voice and read:

**Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. 'That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry.'**

("No!" Sirius moaned).

**'But - he couldn't.'**

"What?" Sirius exclaimed, looking over at Severus, who appeared as confused as Sirius felt.

**'He couldn't kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke - and that's why he's gone.'**

**Dumbledore nodded glumly.**

Sirius and Severus looked at each other, shock evident in their faces.

**'It's - it's **_**true**_**?' faltered Professor McGonagall. 'After all he's done… all the people he's killed… he couldn't kill a little boy? It's just astounding… of all the things to stop him… but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?'**

**'We can only guess,' said Dumbledore. 'We may never know.'**

**Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, 'Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?'**

"But why are they congregating in a place like Privet Drive? Surely it doesn't take three people to tell Petunia her sister died," Severus wondered aloud.

**'Yes,' said Professor McGonagall. 'And I don't suppose you're going to tell me **_**why **_**you're here, of all places?'**

**'I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family he has left now.'**

**'You don't mean - you **_**can't**_** mean the people who live **_**here**_**?' cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four. 'Dumbledore - you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son - I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Harry Potter come and live here!'**

**'It's the best place for him,' said Dumbledore firmly.**

This seemed to get to Sirius, "The best place for him? Has Dumbledore gone completely off his rocker?" he shouted. "What about me and Peter and Remus? Any of us would be much better to Harry than these idiots!"

"Black, the events of this book take place at least three years after we graduate. Who knows what could have happened in that time. Didn't you hear? The Dursleys are the only family he has left! That means that the Potters and Lily's parents are dead. Who's to say the same thing hasn't happened to you? Besides," the corner of Snape's lip curled cruelly, "It seems unlikely that Lupin would be allowed to raise any child."

Apparently this thought had not occurred to Sirius, as his expression changed to one that would not look out of place if he were at his own execution.

Severus was about to begin reading when Sirius spoke up again, "How do you know the amount of time that's passed?" he questioned.

Snape sighed. "Dumbledore mentioned that the war went on for eleven years. That means this scene takes place in 1981, probably around Hallowe'en - the news reader mentioned Bonfire Night approaching." he explained.

"Oh." said Sirius.

**'His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter.'**

**'A letter?' repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. 'Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand him! He'll be famous - a legend - I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter day in future - there will be books written about Harry - every child in our world will know his name!'**

**'Exactly,' said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. 'It would be enough to turn any boy's head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember! Can't you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?'**

**Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed and then said, 'Yes - yes, you're right, of course. But how is the boy getting here, Dumbledore?' She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it.**

**'Hagrid's bringing him.'**

**'You think it - **_**wise**_** - to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?'**

**'I would trust Hagrid with my life,' said Dumbledore.**

**'I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place,' said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, 'but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to - what was that?'**

**A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky - and an huge motorbike fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.**

"Wow," said Sirius appreciatively, "I wish I had one of those."

**If the motorbike was huge, it was nothing compared to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so **_**wild**_** - long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of dustbin lids and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets.**

**'Hagrid,' said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. 'At last. And where did you get that motorbike?'**

**'Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir,' said the giant…**

'Hagrid's not a giant. Giants are usually about twenty feet tall!" Sirius cried indignantly. He had interrupted far less since he learned about the future death of his best friend, but the shock seemed to be wearing off a little.

…**climbing carefully off the motorbike as he spoke. 'Young Sirius Black lent it to me.'**

"It appears you do get the bike you want," said Snape.

A weak smile broke out on Sirius's face. It was very cool that the motorbike was his, but why wasn't Harry going to live with him?

**'I've got him, sir.'**

**'No problems, were there?'**

**'No, sir - house was almost destroyed but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol.'**

**Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep. Under a tuft of jet-black hair over his forehead they could see a curiously-shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.**

**'Is that where -?' whispered Professor McGonagall.**

**'Yes,' said Dumbledore. 'He'll have that scar for ever.'**

**'Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?'**

**'Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in useful. I have one myself above my left knee which is a perfect map of the London Underground.'**

"Is he serious?" Snape asked, raising his eyebrows and looking at Sirius.

"No, I'm Sirius, he's Dumbledore."

Snape groaned.

**'Well - give him here, Hagrid - we'd better get this over with.'**

**Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned towards the Dursleys' house.**

**'Could I - could I say goodbye to him, sir?' asked Hagrid.**

**He bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.**

**'Shhh!' hissed Professor McGonagall. 'You'll wake the Muggles!'**

**'S-s-sorry,' sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. 'But I c-c-can't stand it - Lily and James dead - an' poor little Harry off ter live with Muggles-'**

**'Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found,' Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Harry gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry's blankets and then came back to the other two. For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out.**

**'Well,' said Dumbledore finally, 'that's that. We've got no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations.'**

**'Yeah,' said Hagrid in a very muffled voice. 'I'll be takin' Sirius his bike back. G'night, Professor McGonagall - Professor Dumbledore, sir.'**

**Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself on to the motorbike and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.**

**'I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall,' said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply.**

**Dumbledore turned and walked down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four.**

**'Good luck Harry,' He murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak he was gone.**

**A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles,**

Sirius made a face, "That must be one of the most unpleasant ways to wake."

Severus thought about Petunia Evans's screech and nodded. It was not pleasant to hear when one is awake either.

**Nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley… He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: 'To Harry Potter - the boy who lived!'**

"That's the end of the chapter," Severus announced.

"And it's almost time for supper," Sirius added. "But what should we do about the book?"

"Well - it you're certain the best option is to read it together," (Sirius nodded curtly.) "Then we should meet back here tomorrow, after lunch."

Sirius shrugged, which Severus took as an agreement. The Slytherin stood and walked out of the room. He was not looking forward to spending time with Potter's right hand. He could only hope they would finish the book quickly.


	3. The Vanishing Glass

Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling, and all credit for the bolded text goes to her.

Any and all feedback is very much appreciated.

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read, review, favourite and/or alert.

* * *

As Severus Snape approached the room across from the tapestry of Barnabus the Barmy for the second time in as many days, he felt the stirrings of nervousness in his gut. If he went back to the room today he would be agreeing to read the remainder of the book with Black, meaning he would be in close contact with the person who tried to end his life by sending him face to face with a werewolf in fifth year. He had considered trying to forget the incident ever happened, but Black would continue reading with or without him, and Severus would not allow Black to deprive him of any information the books may contain.

When he reached the room he was surprised to see that Black was already there, leaning against the window ledge with a pensive expression on his face that vanished when he realized he was no longer alone.

"I'll read today then?" he said, walking to the armchair he had occupied the day before.

Severus nodded and made his way over to the other armchair. "Never thought I'd see the day you wanted to read a book," he said sarcastically. Sirius sent a dark look at the Slytherin.

**Chapter Two:**

Sirius began.

**The Vanishing Glass**

**Nearley ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursley's front door; it crept into their living-room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr Dursley had seen the fateful news report about the owls. Only the photos on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-coloured bobble hats -**

(Sirius let out a snort of laughter).

**But Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large, blond boy riding his first bicycle, n a roundabout at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign that another boy lived in the house too.**

**Yet Harry Potter was still there,**

"Damn it!" Sirius exclaimed, "Why haven't I come to get him yet?" When no one answered him, he read on.

**Asleep at the moment, but not for long. His Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice which made the first noise of the day.**

'**Up! Get up! Now!'**

Severus's face twitched strangely, as though he were repressing the urge to pull a face. "It seems that time has not made Petunia any more pleasant," he remarked dryly.

**Harry woke with a start. His Aunt rapped on the door again.**

'**Up!' she screeched. Harry heard her walking towards the kitchen and the sound of the frying pan being put on the cooker. He rolled on to his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorbike in it. He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before.**

Sirius trailed off again, "You don't think he can actually remember that, do you?"

Severus shrugged.

**His aunt was back outside the door.**

'**Are you up yet?' she demanded.**

'**Nearly,' said Harry.**

'**Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday.'**

**Harry groaned.**

Sirius smirked, "Probably not a smart move pup."

Severus sent him a questioning glance, "Pup?"

Sirius pretended not to hear him.

'**What did you say?' his aunt snapped through the door.**

("Told you." Sirius smirked).

'**Nothing, nothing…'**

**Dudley's birthday - how could he have forgotten? Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. He found a pair under his bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them, put them on. Harry was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and…**

Sirius took a deep breath so that he could continue.

**And that was where he slept.**

"What did you say?" Snape demanded, furious. Sirius didn't look at him, he was staring at the book in his hands as though it could explode at any moment.

**When he was dressed he went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. It looked as though Dudley had got the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the new racing bike. Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise - unless of course it involved punching somebody. Dudley's favourite punching bag was Harry, but he couldn't often catch him. Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast.**

**Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard, but Harry had always been small and skinny for his age. He looked even smaller and skinnier than he really was because all he had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's and Dudley was about four times bigger than he was.**

"So they can afford to give their son about a hundred birthday gifts when they can't buy their nephew clothes that fit, and they make him live in a cupboard?" The words burst out of Sirius before he thought them through.

Severus looked as though he tasted something highly unpleasant, "Oh I doubt it is a matter of what they can afford. Petunia hates magic, probably jealous of Lily, and she and her dreadful husband don't want to give Harry anything. I would bet anything that Dumbledore is forcing them to keep him, otherwise he would have been sent to an orphanage by now."

Sirius thought the Slytherin was likely correct. "So now you'll make a wager?" he joked, attempting to lift the mood that had fallen over the room.

Severus merely glared at him.

**Harry had a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair and bright green eyes.**

"Lily's eyes," Snapes lips moved, but no sound came out. Sirius looked at him strangely, but the Slytherin just motioned for him to continue reading.

**He wore round glasses held together with a lot of Sellotape because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose. The only thing Harry liked about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead which was shaped like a bolt of lightning. He had it as long as he could remember and the first question he could ever remember asking his Aunt Petunia was how he had got it.**

'**In the car crash when your parents died,' she had said. 'And don't ask questions.'**

Sirius and Severus shared a dark look. A car crash? That was what Harry's family told him? But how do you tell a child their parents were murdered?

"I know what you're thinking," said Severus. "But I doubt compassion had anything to do with their actions. They wouldn't want to explain the wizarding world to him, so they lied instead."

Sirius swore under his breath.

_**Don't ask questions**_** - that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys.**

**Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Harry was turning over the bacon.**

'**Comb your hair!' He barked, by way of a morning greeting.**

**About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his paper and shouted that Harry needed a haircut. Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in his class put together, but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way - all over the place.**

"He might have Lily's eyes, but he's got James's hair," Sirius laughed.

**Harry was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large, pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes and thick, blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel - Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig.**

Sirius let out a barking laugh and Severus allowed himself a small smile.

"The kid definitely takes after James," Sirius remarked.

**Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. His face fell.**

'**Thirty-six,' he said, looking up at his mother and father. 'That's two less than last year.'**

Snape shot the book an incredulous look.

'**Darling you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under the big one from Mummy and Daddy.'**

'**All right, thirty-seven then,' said Dudley, going red in the face. Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over.**

"And I thought Regulus was spoiled, but my parents wouldn't allow behaviour like this, even if it was from their 'precious little prince'."

Severus was not surprised at the jibe, ever since the younger Black had been sorted into Slytherin the two had been enemies; constantly throwing insults and hexes at each other. What startled Severus was the venom accompanying the statement - Sirius really seemed to hate his brother.

**Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger too, because she said quickly, 'And we'll buy you another **_**two**_** presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin? **_**Two**_** more presents, is that all right?'**

**Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. Finally he said slowly, 'So I'll have thirty… thirty…'**

'**Thirty-nine, sweetums,' Said Aunt Petunia.**

'**Oh,' Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. 'All right then.'**

**Uncle Vernon chuckled.**

'**Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy Dudley!' He ruffled Dudley's hair.**

"He's _proud_ of Dudley? Oh that's a great example to set for a child," Severus exclaimed. Sirius nodded in agreement.

**At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Harry and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a remote control aeroplane, sixteen new video games and a video recorder. He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried.**

'**Bad news, Vernon,' she said. 'Mrs Figg's broken her leg. She can't take him.' She jerked her head in Harry's direction.**

**Dudley's mouth fell open in horror but Harry's heart gave a leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger bars or the cinema. Every year, Harry was left behind with Mrs Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. Harry hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs Figg made him look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned.**

"Sounds like fun," said Sirius dryly.

'**Now what?' said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Harry as though he'd planned this. Harry knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when he reminded himself it would be a whole year before he had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr Paws and Tufty again.**

'**We could phone Marge,' Uncle Vernon suggested.**

'**Don't be silly Vernon, she hates the boy.'**

**The Dursleys often spoke about Harry like this, as though he wasn't there - or rather, as though he was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug.**

'**What about what's-her-name, your friend - Yvonne?'**

'**On holiday in Majorica,' snapped Aunt Petunia.**

'**You could just leave me here,' Harry put in hopefully (he'd be able to watch what he wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer).**

Severus shook his head.

"What?"

"He shouldn't have mentioned it, now they'll never let him stay there."

"Oh."

**Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon.**

'**And come back and find the house in ruins?' she snarled.**

'**I won't blow up the house,' said Harry, but they weren't listening.**

'**I suppose we could take him to the zoo,' said Aunt Petunia slowly, '…and leave him in the car…'**

'**That car's new, he's not sitting in it alone…'**

**Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying, it had been years since he'd really cried, but he knew that I he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted.**

'**Dinky Duddydums-**

"Is she serious? Dinky Duddydums?" Sirius wondered aloud.

Snape's lip curled. "I thought you were Sirius."

Sirius flipped him off.

'**Dinky Duddydums, don't cry, Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!' she cried, flinging her arms around him.**

'**I… don't… want… him… t-t-to come!' Dudley yelled between huge pretend sobs. 'He always sp-spoils everything!' He shot Harry a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms.**

**Just then, the doorbell rang - 'Oh, Good Lord, they're here!' said Aunt Petunia frantically - and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother. Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them.**

"Charming," Severus remarked dryly.

**Dudley stopped pretending to cry at one.**

"Of course, wouldn't want your little friends to know you still go crying to mummy when things don't go your way," said Severus, his voice full of venom.

**Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn't believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys' car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in his life. His aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with him, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry aside.**

'**I'm warning you,' He said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry's, 'I'm warning you now, boy - any funny business, anything at all -'**

The bitterness in Sirius's voice increased with every word.

'**And you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas.'**

Severus let out a growl and Sirius looked at him in shock.

"That man would lock his own nephew in a cupboard," Severus snarled.

Sirius was surprised by the look of loathing on Snape's face. He thought it must have something to do with Snape's feelings for Lily, but the two were not friends anymore, at least Sirius didn't think they were…

'**I'm not going to do anything,' said Harry, 'honestly…'**

**But Uncle Vernon didn't believe him. No one ever did.**

**The problem was, strange things often happened around Harry and it was juts no good telling the Dursleys he didn't make them happen.**

"Accidental magic, Petunia would know that. Lily used to do it all the time," said Snape.

**Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Harry coming back from the barber's looking as though he hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his fringe, which she left 'to hide that horrible scar'. Dudley had laughed himself silly at Harry, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at for his baggy clothes and sellotaped glasses. Next morning, however, he had got up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off. He had been given a week in his cupboard for this, even though he tried to explain that he **_**couldn't**_** explain how it had grown back so quickly.**

"But that's just accidental magic, he can't help it, how can they punish him for that?" Sirius inquired, not really expecting an answer.

"Petunia might not realise that. Lily had a large amount of control over her magic from a young age."

"But why punish him?"

Severus's only response was to raise one eyebrow, his eyes piercing Sirius in a gaze that asked, 'are you reading the same book I am?'

**Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force him into a revolting old jumper of Dudley's (brown with orange bobbles).**

Sirius made a face.

**The harder she tried to pull it over his head, the smaller it seemed to become, until it might have fitted a glove puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Harry. Aunt Petunia decided it must have shrunken in the wash and, to his great relief, Harry wasn't punished.**

"That's good I guess…" Sirius muttered. He didn't know Harry, but the kid was his best friend's son and no kid deserved to be treated like Harry was.

Severus snorted.

**On the other hand, he had gotten in terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens.**

"James's genes no doubt," Severus said.

Sirius thought that climbing school buildings was something that James would find great enjoyment in, but it didn't seem like something Harry would do. "Even James wouldn't give the lunatics something to punish him for," he responded coldly.

**Dudley's gang had been chasing him as usual when, as much to Harry's surprise as anyone else's, there he was sitting on the chimney.**

Sirius looked up from the book, "D'you think he apparated?" he asked. Severus shrugged in response.

**The Dursley's had received a very angry letter from Harry's headmistress telling them Harry had been climbing school buildings. Bu all he'd tried to do (as he shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of his cupboard) was jump behind the big bins outside the kitchen doors. Harry supposed that the wind must have caught him in mid-jump.**

Sirius chuckled weakly. "That sounds like James's reasoning - hopeless," he remarked, remembering all the times that his friend's feeble excuses had gotten them into more trouble.

"I think he flew," said Snape, startling Sirius out of his thoughts.

"Nah, you can't fly without a broom."

"Not quite flying though, more like floating… Lil… I mean, um, I've heard of young witches and wizards falling and they just float down. This could be the same thing, only he floated up because the danger was below," Severus said, thinking of the day in the park when he'd watched Lily fly off the swing.

"Oh."

**But today, nothing was going to go wrong. It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, his cupboard of Mrs Figg's cabbage-smelling living-room.**

**While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry, the council, Harry, the bank and Harry were some of his favourite subjects.**

"I think he really likes Harry, don't you?" said Sirius sarcastically.

Snape sent the book another dark look.

**This morning it was motorbikes.**

'…**roaring around like maniacs, the young hoodlums,' he said, as a motorbike overtook them.**

'**I had a dream about a motorbike,' said Harry, remembering suddenly. 'It was flying.'**

**Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beetroot with a moustache, 'MOTORBIKES DON'T FLY!'**

Sirius yelled the last line.

"Well they're not supposed to," said Snape, glancing at Sirius, "But it's certainly possible."

**Dudley and Piers sniggered.**

"Little gits," Sirius remarked.

'**I know they don't,' said Harry. 'It was only a dream.'**

Sirius shook his head sadly. Where was he? Why was Harry still with the awful Dursleys?

**But he wished he hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than his asking questions, it was his talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream of even a cartoon - they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas.**

Both the Gryffindor and the Slytherin bristled in anger.

**It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice-creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry what he wanted before they could hurry him away, they bought him a cheap lemon ice lolly. It wasn't bad either, Harry thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head and looking remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blond.**

(Sirius paused to let out a loud laugh before returning to the book).

**Harry had the best morning he'd had in a long time. He was careful to walk a little ways apart form the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunch-time, wouldn't fall back on their favourite hobby of hitting him.**

"I wonder what Petunia would do if that happened," mused Snape. "She thinks the opinions of others are so important, and if Harry was being hit it would certainly cause a scene."

Sirius sent Snape an odd look.

**They ate lunch in the zoo restaurant and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory wasn't big enough, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Harry was allowed to finish the first.**

'Weren't they going to feed him?' Sirius wondered, but he did not voice his question.

Severus thought that this might be a good day for Harry. Nothing bad had happened yet.

**Harry felt, afterwards, that he should have known it was all too good to last.**

"Damn it!" Sirius exclaimed as Severus moaned in disappointment.

**After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in here, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a dustbin - but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep.**

**Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils.**

'**Make it move,' he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge.**

'**Do it again,' Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on. 'This is boring,' Dudley moaned. He shuffled away.**

**Harry moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself - no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up - at least he got to visit the rest of the house.**

"I dunno if I agree with him," said Sirius. "I might prefer being the snake, he's bound to get some interesting visitors, and the keeper of the reptile house probably doesn't hate it. You can't say that about the Dursleys."

**The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised it's head until its eyes were on a level with Harry's.**

_**It winked.**_

"What?" Severus asked.

"That's what it says!" Sirius responded. Snape gestured for the Gryffindor to keep reading.

**Harry stared. Then he looked quickly to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. He looked back at the snake and winked too.**

("So he winks back." Sirius moaned).

**The snake jerked his head towards Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly: '**_**I get that all the time**_**.'**

'**I know,' Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. 'It must be really annoying.'**

**The snake nodded vigorously.**

'**Where do you come from, anyway?' Harry asked.**

**The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it.**

_**Boa Constrictor, Brazil.**_

Sirius's voice grew faint as he read:

'**Was it nice there?'**

**The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Harry read on: **_**This specimen was bred in the zoo**_**. 'Oh, I see - so you've never been to Brazil?'**

"So you've never been to Brazil?" Severus repeated incredulously.

**As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Harry made both of them jump. 'DUDLEY! MR DURSLEY! COME HERE AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!'**

Severus muttered something that sounded a lot like 'idiot'. He could have been referring to Piers, or to Sirius, as the Gryffindor felt it was necessary to shout the capitalized text.

**Dudley came waddling towards them as fast as he could.**

'**Out of the way, you,' he said, punching Harry in the ribs.**

Severus growled softly.

**Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor. What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened - one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror.**

("Now what?" Snape groaned).

**Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished. The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor - people throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits.**

**As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said…**

Sirius trailed off.

"Well?" Snape demanded, and the Gryffindor kept reading.

**Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, 'Brazil, here I come… Thanksss, amigo.'**

Severus barely contained his laughter.

**The keeper of the reptile house was in shock.**

"Well that's not surprising, is it?" Severus said, his lip curling.

'**But the glass,' He kept saying, 'where did the glass go?'**

**The zoo director made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweet tea while he apologised over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as Harry had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, but by the time they were all back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death.**

"And how do they claim they got out of these situations?" Snape demanded.

**But worst of all, for Harry at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, 'Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?'**

"That foul little…" Snape trailed off, glancing at his companion. Sirius was very pale, and he looked as though he might be in shock. "Are you alright?" he asked (he told himself he just didn't want Black passing out before the chapter was over).

"He goes to the zoo, and a boa constrictor tells him that it's never seen Brazil. Then he frees the great snake," Sirius said weakly.

"It does look that way, doesn't it?" said Snape, looking thoroughly nonchalant.

**Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Harry. He was so angry he could barely speak. He managed to say, 'Go - cupboard - stay - no meals,' before he collapsed into a chair and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy.**

**Harry lay in his dark cupboard much later, wishing he had a watch. He didn't know what time it was and he couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, he couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food.**

"The great walrus was serious about not feeding him?" Severus roared. Sirius was too busy shooting furious glances at the book to make a pun about his name.

**He'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as he could remember, ever since he was a baby and his parents had died in that car crash. He couldn't remember being in the car when his parents had died.**

"There's a reason for that, pup," Sirius said gravely.

**Sometimes, when he strained his memory during long hours in his cupboard, he came up with a strange vision:**

Sirius's voice wavered.

**A blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on his forehead. This, he supposed, was the crash, though he couldn't imagine where all the green light came from. He couldn't remember his parents at all. His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course he was forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house.**

**When he had been younger, Harry had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take him away, but it had never happened; the Dursleys were his only family. Yet sometimes he though (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know him. Very strange strangers they were, too. A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to him once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley. After asking Harry furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old woman dressed all in green had waved merrily at him once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken his hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word. The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Harry tried to get a closer look.**

"Witches and wizards," Snape noted. "Probably trying to get a look at - what was it again? - 'The Boy Who Lived'."

**At school, Harry had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang.**

The Gryffindor and the Slytherin sat in silence for a while. Sirius was slightly uncomfortable; the way Dudley treated Harry was not too different from the way the Marauders treated Snape. He was still attempting to puzzle out a reason for his continued absence in Harry's life. Severus was very worried about his own fate. He must have gone over to Voldemort's side - he couldn't see any other reason that he would have left Lily's son in such a horrible position, but maybe he didn't know…

"That's the end of the chapter." said Sirius.

"Pass the book, I'll read the next one." said Severus.


	4. The Letters From No One

Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling, credit for the bolded text goes to her.

Any and all feedback is very much appreciated.

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read, review, favourite and/or alert.

* * *

Sirius passed the book to Severus, and the Slytherin started to read.

**Chapter Three: The Letters from No One**

"Letters from no one?" Sirius wondered aloud.

**The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor earned Harry his longest-ever punishment. By the time he was allowed out of his cupboard again, the summer holidays had started…**

"Wait! How long was that?" Sirius asked, furious. Severus appeared equally angry, but he did not stop reading.

…**and Dudley had already broken his new cine-camera, crashed his remote control aeroplane and, first time on his racing bike, knocked down old Mrs Figg as she crossed Privet Drive on her crutches.**

**Harry was glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley's gang, who visited the house every single day. Piers, Dennis, Malcolm and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader. The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley's favourite sport: Harry Hunting.**

"Gits," remarked Sirius.

"Cowards," hissed Snape, "They're glad to join in, so long as it's five against one."

Severus did not make the connection to the way he was attacked by the marauders, but Sirius did.

**This was why Harry spent as much time as possible out of the house, wandering around and thinking about the end of the holidays, where he could see a tiny ray of hope. When September came he would be going off to secondary school and, for the first time in his life, he wouldn't be with Dudley. Dudley had a place at Uncle Vernon's old school, Smeltings.**

"Nice name for a school," Sirius said with something like a smirk.

**Piers Polkiss was going there too. Harry, on the other hand, was going to Stonewall High, the local comprehensive. Dudley thought this was very funny.**

**'They stuff people's heads down the toilet first day at Stonewall,' he told Harry. 'Want to come upstairs and practise?'**

"I wonder if he'll think it's funny when Harry's Hogwarts letter shows up," Sirius snarled, causing the corner of Severus's mouth to quirk upwards.

**'No thanks,' said Harry. 'The poor toilet's never had anything as horrible as your head down it - it might be sick.' Then he ran, before Dudley could work out what he'd said.**

Sirius smiled, "At least they didn't destroy his sense of humour. James would be proud."

**One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his Smeltings uniform, leaving Harry at Mrs Figg's. Mrs Figg wasn't as bad as usual. It turned out she'd broken her leg tripping over one of her cats and she didn't seem quite as fond of them as before. She let Harry watch television and gave him a bit of chocolate cake that tasted as though she'd had it for several years.**

Sirius pulled a face, but admitted it was certainly better than looking at pictures of cats all day.

**That evening, Dudley paraded around the living-room for the family that evening in his brand-new uniform. Smeltings boys wore maroon tailcoats, orange knickerbockers and flat straw hats called boaters. They also carried knobbly sticks, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren't looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life.**

("Good training my arse," said Snape).

**As he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life. Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn't believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins, he looked so handsome and grown-up. Harry didn't trust himself to speak. He thought two of his ribs might have cracked from trying not to laugh.**

Strangely, Snape looked like he was in the same predicament. The author had characterized Petunia Evans so well that it was no stretch to imagine her cooing over a son who she was unable to find fault with.

Sirius did not seem to notice. "You know," he began, "I used to think it was a shame the Hogwarts uniform is plain black - but if the alternative was something like that…" he let the sentence trail off. Snape used the few moments of silence to compose himself enough that he could continue reading.

**There was a horrible smell in the kitchen next morning when Harry went in for breakfast. It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. He went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags swimming in grey water.**

**'What's this?' he asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if he dared to ask a question.**

**'Your new school uniform,' she said.**

**Harry looked in the bowl again.**

**'Oh,' he said. 'I didn't realize it had to be so wet.'**

**'Don't be stupid,' snapped Aunt Petunia. 'I'm dyeing some of Dudley's old things grey for you. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've finished.'**

**Harry seriously doubted this, but thought it best not to argue. He sat down at the table and tried not to think about how he was going to look on his first day at Stonewall High - like he was wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably.**

Sirius and Severus scowled at the book.

**Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with wrinkled noses because of the smell from Harry's new uniform. Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley banged his Smeltings stick, which he carried everywhere, on the table.**

**They heard the click of the letter-box and flop of letters on the doormat.**

**'Get the post, Dudley,' said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper.**

Sirius's mouth fell open, but before he could speak, Snape had read the next few lines.

**'Make Harry get it.'**

**'Get the post, Harry.'**

**'Make Dudley get it.'**

**'Poke him with your Smeltings stick, Dudley.'**

"What?" Sirius exclaimed angrily. Severus looked equally cross.

**Harry dodged the Smeltings stick and went to get the post. Three things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, who was holidaying on the Isle of Wright, a brown envelope that looked like a bill and - **_**a letter for Harry**_**.**

**Harry picked it up and stared at it, his heart twanging like a giant elastic band. No one, ever, in his whole life, had written to him. Who would? He had no friends, no other relatives - he didn't belong to the library so he'd never even got rude notes asking for books back. Yet here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake:**

_**Mr H. Potter**_

_**The Cupboard under the Stairs**_

_**4 Privet Drive**_

_**Little Whinging**_

_**Surrey**_

"It must be a wizard writing him, muggles don't use addresses that specific," Sirius noted.

**The envelope was thick and heavy, made of a yellowish parchment, and the address was written in green ink. There was no stamp.**

**Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger and a snake surrounding a large letter 'H'.**

"HOGWARTS!" Sirius roared. Severus nearly leapt out of his chair.

"Did you have to yell?" the Slytherin asked waspishly. Sirius grinned.

**'Hurry up, boy!' shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. 'What are you doing, checking for letter bombs?' He chuckled at his own joke.**

"It's so very witty," Sirius remarked sarcastically.

**Harry went back into the kitchen, still staring at his letter. He handed Uncle Vernon the bill and the postcard, sat down and slowly began to open the yellow envelope.**

"What are you waiting for pup?" Sirius asked. Snape rolled his eyes; the Gryffindor had started talking to a book.

**Uncle Vernon ripped open the bill, snorted in disgust and flipped over the postcard.**

**'Marge's ill,' he informed Aunt Petunia. 'Ate a funny whelk…'**

**'Dad!' said Dudley suddenly. 'Dad, Harry's got something!'**

"So? It's not a crime to get mail," said Sirius.

**Harry was on the point of unfolding his letter, which was written on the same heavy parchment as the envelope, when it was jerked sharply out of his hand by Uncle Vernon.**

The Gryffindor bit back his comment when Severus sent a sharp look his way. It would not be productive to start a duel so early in the book when they needed to continue reading together.

**'That's **_**mine**_**!' said Harry, trying to snatch it back.**

**'Who'd be writing to you?' sneered Uncle Vernon, shaking the letter open with one hand and glancing at it. His face went from red to green faster than a set of traffic lights. And it didn't stop there. Within seconds it was the greyish white of old porridge.**

**'P-P-Petunia!' he gasped.**

**Dudley tried to grab the letter to read it, but Uncle Vernon held it high out of his reach. Aunt Petunia took it curiously and read the first line. For a moment it looked as though she might faint. She clutched her throat and made a chocking noise.**

**'Vernon, oh my goodness - Vernon!'**

Sirius chuckled, earning himself a disbelieving look from Severus. "Come on," he protested. "You've got to admit it's funny - who reacts like this to a letter?"

"Enjoy it while you can," Severus responded darkly.

**They stared at each other, seeming to have forgotten that Harry and Dudley were still in the room. Dudley wouldn't used to being ignored. He gave his father a sharp tap on the head with his Smeltings stick.**

**'I want to read that letter,' he said loudly.**

"Though Dursley deserves everything he gets, his kid needs an adjustment," Sirius said angrily.

Severus smirked, "I think Harry has a better point," and with that he continued to read.

**'**_**I**_** want to read it,' said Harry furiously, 'as it's **_**mine**_**.'**

"Oh, yeah, that too! Give him his letter Dursley!" Sirius demanded.

**'Get out, both of you,' croaked Uncle Vernon, stuffing the letter back inside its envelope.**

**Harry didn't move.**

"That's it pup, don't back down," Sirius muttered.

**'I WANT MY LETTER!' he shouted.**

**'Let **_**me**_** see it!' demanded Dudley.**

**'OUT!' roared Uncle Vernon, and he took both Harry and Dudley by the scruffs of their necks and threw them into the hall, slamming the kitchen door behind them. Harry and Dudley promptly had a furious but silent fight over who would listen at the keyhole; Dudley won, so Harry, his glasses dangling from one ear, lay flat on the floor to listen at the crack between the door and floor.**

**'Vernon,' Aunt Petunia was saying in a quivering voice, 'look at the address - how could they possibly know where he sleeps? You don't think they're watching the house?'**

"Oh of course they're watching the house. It's not like wizards have anything better to do than eavesdrop on a couple of muggles like you," Severus drawled.

Sirius looked pensive, "How do Hogwarts and the Ministry ensure that the addresses are right? They're so specific."

"I've always assumed it's a charm of some sort," Severus said disinterestedly.

**'Watching - spying - might be following us,' muttered Uncle Vernon wildly.**

Severus let out a highly undignified snort, "I really doubt that."

**'But what should we do, Vernon? Should we write back? Tell them we don't want -'**

**Harry could see Uncle Vernon's shiny black shoes pacing up and down the kitchen**

**'No,' he said finally. 'No, we'll ignore it. If they don't get an answer… yes, that's best… we won't do anything…'**

**'But-'**

**'I'm not having one in the house, Petunia! Didn't we swear when we took him in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense?'**

"Dangerous nonsense?" Sirius repeated.

"I'd like to show him just how dangerous it can be," Snape growled with a fearsome glint in his eye. Sirius eyed him warily.

**That evening when he got back from work, Uncle Vernon did something he'd never done before; he visited Harry in his cupboard.**

**'Where's my letter?' said Harry, the moment Uncle Vernon had squeezed through the door. 'Who's writing to me?'**

**'No one. It was addressed to you by mistake,' said Uncle Vernon shortly. 'I have burned it.'**

**'It was _not_ a mistake,' said Harry angrily. 'It had my cupboard on it!'**

**'SILENCE!' yelled Uncle Vernon, and a couple of spiders fell from the ceiling. He took a few deep breaths and then forced his face into a small, which looked quite painful.**

**'Er - yes, Harry - about this cupboard. Your aunt and I have been thinking… you're really getting a bit big for it… we think it might be nice if you moved into Dudley's second bedroom.'**

Snape stopped reading. "Second bedroom," he repeated, his voice deadly. "That bitch gave her son two bedrooms and locked her nephew under the stairs."

It appeared that the Slytherin did not have the words to express his distaste.

Sirius was furious as well, not just at the Dursleys but at his future self too. "Look," he said curtly, trying to hide his anger. "They're horrible, but if you keep interrupting yourself, we'll never finish."

Snape sent him a look of pure venom, but he continued reading. His voice grew more spiteful with every word.

**'Why?' said Harry.**

**'Don't ask questions!' snapped his uncle. 'Take this stuff upstairs, now.'**

**Severus glanced at the next paragraph and took a breath before proceeding.**

**The Dursley's house had four bedrooms:**

"_FOUR_ bedrooms?" Sirius thundered. Snape barely spared him a glance.

**One for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, one for visitors (usually Uncle Vernon's sister Marge), one where Dudley slept and one where Dudley kept all the toys and things that wouldn't fit into his first bedroom.**

Sirius muttered furiously under his breath.

**It only took Harry one trip upstairs to move everything he owned from the cupboard to this room. He sat down on the bed and stared around him. Nearly everything in here was broken. The month-old cine-camera was laying on top of a small, working tank Dudley had once driven over next door's dog; in the corner was Dudley's first-ever television set, which he'd put his foot through when his favourite programme had been cancelled; there was a large birdcage which had once held a parrot that Dudley had swapped at school for a real air-rifle, which was up on a shelf with the end all bent because Dudley had sat on it. Other shelves were full of books. They were the only things in the room that looked as though they'd never been touched.**

**From downstairs came the sound of Dudley bawling at his mother: 'I don't _want_ him in there… I _need_ that room… make him get out…'**

**Harry sighed and stretched out on the bed. Yesterday he'd have given anything to be up here. Today he'd rather be back in his cupboard with that letter than up here without it.**

**Next morning at breakfast, everyone was rather quiet. Dudley was in shock. He'd screamed, whacked his father with his Smeltings stick, been sick on purpose, kicked his mother and thrown his tortoise through the greenhouse roof and he still didn't have his room back. Harry was thinking about this time yesterday and bitterly wishing he'd opened the letter in the hall. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia kept looking at each other darkly.**

**When the post arrived, Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be trying to be nice to Harry, made Dudley go and get it.**

Sirius snorted. Snape looked at him and quirked an eyebrow.

"Oh come on," the Gryffindor said. "You can't believe he's trying to be nice, he's afraid there will be another letter. Unfortunately," Sirius grinned, "They've forgotten their son wanted to read the letter as well."

Snape smirked.

**They heard him banging things with his Smeltings stick all the way down the hall. Then he shouted, 'There's another one! **_**Mr H. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive**_** -'**

Sirius groaned loudly, "You've got to be kidding me! The bloody idiot!"

**With a strangled cry, Uncle Vernon leapt from his seat and ran down the hall, Harry right behind him. Uncle Vernon had to wrestle Dudley to the ground to get the letter from him, which was made difficult by the fact that Harry had grabbed Uncle Vernon around the neck from behind. After a minute of confused fighting, in which everyone got hit a lot by the Smeltings stick…**

"Does that mean Dudley hit himself with it?" Sirius asked aloud. Severus's lip quirked upwards and he shrugged.

**Uncle Vernon straightened up, gasping for breath, with Harry's letter clutched in his hands.**

**'Go to your cupboard - I mean, your bedroom,' he wheezed at Harry. 'Dudley - go - just go.'**

**Harry walked round and round his new room. Someone knew he had moved out of his cupboard and they seemed to know he hadn't received his first letter. Surely that meant they'd try again? And this time he'd make sure they didn't fail. He had a plan.**

**The repaired alarm clock rang at six o'clock the next morning. Harry turned it off quickly and dressed silently. He mustn't wake the Dursleys. He stole downstairs without turning on any of the lights.**

**He was going to wait for the postman on the corner of Privet Drive and get the letters for number four first.**

"That's a good plan; it's simple, but it should work," Sirius said approvingly.

**His heart hammered as he crept across the dark hall towards the front door -**

**'AAAAARRRGH!'**

"What?" asked Sirius.

"That's what's written down, see look, 'aaaaarrgh'," said Severus.

Sirius took the book and peered at the page. "That's not 'aaaaarrrgh'," he said. "That's supposed to be someone screaming, like thi…"

"You don't need to demonstrate Black, I know what screaming sounds like," said Severus. He looked at Sirius, who grinned and handed the book back.

**Harry leapt into the air - he'd trodden on something big and squashy on the doormat - something **_**alive**_**!**

**Lights clicked on upstairs and to his horror Harry realized that the big squashy something had been his uncle's face. Uncle Vernon had been lying at the foot of the front door in a sleeping bag, clearly making sure that Harry didn't do exactly what he'd been trying to do.**

"Well it was a good plan, though maybe he should have made it a bit less predictable by not using the front door. If he'd used the back door, or maybe a window, he would have gotten away with it," Sirius said sadly.

Snape rolled his eyes.

**He shouted at Harry for…**

"Who shouted?" Sirius asked.

"Dursley," said Severus. "Anyways…"

**He shouted at Harry for about half an hour and then told him to go and make a cup of tea. Harry shuffled miserably off into the kitchen and by the time he got back, the post had arrived, right into Uncle Vernon's lap. Harry could see the letters addressed in green ink.**

**'I want-' he began, but Uncle Vernon was tearing the letters into pieces before his eyes.**

**Uncle Vernon didn't go to work that day. He stayed at home and nailed up the letter-box.**

**'See,' he explained to Aunt Petunia through a mouthful of nails, 'if they can't **_**deliver**_** the letters they'll just give up.'**

**'I'm not sure that'll work, Vernon.'**

**'Oh these people's minds work in strange ways, Petunia, they're not like you and me,' said Uncle Vernon, trying to knock in a nail with the piece of fruit cake Aunt Petunia had just brought him.**

"And aren't we all glad we're not," said Sirius emphatically. "But even though this bloke's an idiot, should it take a whole day to nail up a letter box?"

"No," said Severus, very nearly grinning. "No it shouldn't."

Sirius let out a burst of laughter, "I wonder how well that worked for him," he said.

Snape scanned the page, "Not at all," he stated. "Listen;"

**On Friday, no fewer than twelve letters arrived for Harry.**

(Sirius let out a loud whoop).

**As they couldn't go through the letter-box they had been pushed under the door, slotted through the sides and a few even forced through the small window in the downstairs toilet.**

**Uncle Vernon stayed at home again. After burning all the letters, he got out a hammer and nails and boarded up the cracks around the front and back doors so no one could go out. He hummed 'Tiptoe through the Tulips' as he worked, and jumped at small noises.**

**On Saturday, things began to get out of hand. Twenty-four letters to Harry found their way into the house, rolled up and hidden inside each of the two dozen eggs that their very confused milkman had handed Aunt Petunia through the living-room window. While Uncle Vernon made furious telephone calls to the post office and the dairy trying to find someone to complain to, Aunt Petunia shredded the letters in her food mixer.**

**'Who on Earth wants to talk to **_**you**_** this badly?' Dudley asked Harry in amazement.**

"I'm sure plenty of people would like to talk to Harry, as he defeated Voldemort and all," said Sirius defensively. When Severus did not immediately continue reading Sirius glanced at him.

"I was thinking about who could be sending the letters," Snape revealed. "I know they're from Hogwarts," he said quickly, as Sirius looked likely to interrupt. "But if Dumbledore knew Harry wasn't getting the letters, wouldn't he go visit Harry and deliver it in person? Why bother forcing more letters into the house when Harry isn't going to get them?"

Sirius shrugged, "It's Dumbledore, who knows why he does things. Maybe he gave the job to someone else."

Snape thought this was probably the case, but he didn't know who the deliverer could be.

**On Sunday morning, Uncle Vernon sat down at the breakfast table looking tired and rather ill, but happy.**

**'No post on Sundays,' he reminded them happily as he spread marmalade on his newspapers, 'no damn letters today -'**

"On his toast you mean," Sirius said.

"What?"

"You said he was spreading marmalade on his newspapers," the Gryffindor said, grinning.

"I know that. That's what it says in the book," Severus said bitterly.

**Something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney as he spoke and caught him sharply on the back of the head. Next moment, thirty or forty letters came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets. The Dursleys ducked, but Harry leapt into the air trying to catch one -**

**'Out! OUT!'**

**Uncle Vernon seized Harry around the waist and threw him into the hall. When Aunt Petunia and Dudley had run out with their arms over their faces, Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. They could hear the letters still streaming into the room, bouncing off the walls and floor.**

Severus looked up from the book. "Idiot," he said, "why didn't he grab one off the floor? The fat lump wouldn't have noticed that. No, he had to go jumping about."

"That's not a bad idea," remarked Sirius, sounding surprised. He would have reacted the same way Harry had.

"Sometimes subtlety is paramount," Severus sneered. "Not that _you_ would understand such matters."

**'That does it,' said Uncle Vernon, trying to speak calmly but pulling great tufts out of his moustache at the same time. 'I want you all back here in five minutes, ready to leave. We're going away. Just pack some clothes. No arguments!'**

**He looked so dangerous with half his moustache missing that no one dared argue. Ten minutes later they had wrenched their way through the boarded-up doors-**

("Now he realizes _that_ was a stupid decision," said Sirius).

**-and were in the car, speeding towards the motorway. Dudley was sniffling in the back seat; his father had hit him round the head for holding them up while he tried to pack his television, video and computer into his sports bag.**

"The only reason he tried to pack all that is because you spoiled him, Dursley. You're punishing him for something that is your own fault," Severus said with disgust.

**They drove. And they drove. Even Aunt Petunia didn't dare ask where they were going. Every now and then Uncle Vernon would take a sharp turning and drive in the opposite direction for a while.**

**'Shame 'em off… shake 'em off,' he would mutter whenever he did this.**

Sirius gave the book a blank stare. "I think he's actually lost it," he stated. Severus nodded dully in agreement.

**They didn't stop to eat or drink all day. By nightfall Dudley was howling. He'd never had such a bad day in his life. He was hungry, he'd missed five television programmes he'd wanted to see and he'd never gone so long without blowing up an alien on his computer.**

**Uncle Vernon stopped at last outside a gloomy-looking hotel on the outskirts of a big city. Dudley and Harry shared a room with twin beds and damp, musty sheets. Dudley snored but Harry stayed awake, sitting on the window-sill, staring down at the lights of passing cars and wondering…**

**They ate stale cornflakes and tinned tomatoes on toast for breakfast next day. They had just finished when the owner of the hotel came over to their table.**

**''Scuse me, but is one of you Mr H. Potter? Only I got about an 'undred of these at the front desk.'**

**She held up a letter so they could see the green ink address:**

_**Mr H. Potter**_

_**Room 17**_

_**Railview Hotel**_

_**Cokeworth**_

**Harry made a grab for the letter but Uncle Vernon knocked his hand out of the way. The woman stared.**

**'I'll take them,' said Uncle Vernon, standing up quickly and following her from the dining-room.**

**'Wouldn't it be better just to go home, dear?' Aunt Petunia suggested timidly, hours later, but Uncle Vernon didn't seem to hear her. Exactly what he was looking for, none of them knew. He drove them into the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook his head, got back in the car and off they went again. The same thing happened in the middle of a ploughed field, halfway across a suspension bridge and at the top of a multi-storey car park.**

**'Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?' Dudley asked Aunt Petunia dully late that afternoon. Uncle Vernon had parked at the coast, locked them all inside the car and disappeared.**

**It started to rain. Great drops beat on the roof of the car. Dudley snivelled.**

**'It's Monday,' he told his mother. 'The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a **_**television**_**.'**

**Monday. This reminded Harry of something. If it **_**was**_** Monday - and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days of the week, because of television - then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry's eleventh birthday. Of course, his birthdays were never exactly fun - last year, the Dursleys had given him a coat-hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks. Still, you weren't eleven every day.**

**Uncle Vernon was back and he was smiling. He was also carrying a long, thin package and didn't answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he'd bought.**

"Well, that'll work out brilliantly," Sirius said.

Severus sighed, "You don't even know what it is, Black."

"It's Dursley, which means that thing can't be anything good," Sirius stated with certainty.

**'Found the perfect place!' he said. 'Come on! Everyone out!'**

**It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a large rock way out to sea. Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine. One thing was certain, there was no television in there.**

Severus was forced to increase the volume of his reading to be heard of Sirius's constant mutterings of "This isn't going to end well."

**'Storm forecast for tonight!' said Uncle Vernon gleefully, clapping his hands together. 'And this gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his boat!'**

**A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather wick…**

"OH WILL YOU SHUT UP?" Severus shouted.

Sirius looked at the Slytherin. "In the time this book was written these things have already happened, and in our time they won't happen for at least thirteen years, so unless you have something worthwhile to say: shut it!" Severus said firmly.

Sirius nodded.

"'Right then," said Severus.

**A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather wicked grin, at an old rowing boat bobbing in the iron-grey water below them.**

**'I've already got us some rations,' said Uncle Vernon, 'so all aboard!'**

**It was freezing in the boat. Icy sea spray and rain crept down their necks and a chilly wind whipped their faces. After what seemed like hours they reached the rock, where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to the broken-down house.**

**The inside was horrible; it smelled strongly of seaweed, the wind whistled through gaps in the wooden walls and the fireplace was damp and empty. There were only two rooms.**

**Uncle Vernon's rations turned out to be a packet of crisps each and four bananas. He tried to start a fire but the empty crisp packets just smoked and shrivelled up.**

**'Could do with some of those letters now, eh?' he said cheerfully.**

**He was in a very good mood. Obviously he thought nobody stood a chance of reaching them here in a storm to deliver post. Harry privately agreed, though the thought didn't cheer him up at all.**

"Poor pup. At least he'll be gone to Hogwarts soon - the Dursleys have no idea of what wizards can do," said Sirius. "But what does Harry think? He knows someone wants to get a letter to him, and that the Dursleys don't want him to have it. His uncle said something about 'stamping it out of him' - how's he going to feel about a statement like that?"

"I think he realizes that the Dursleys are idiots, he doesn't seem to be as brainless as his father. Plus things are already bad for him, reading the letter couldn't make his situation worse," said Snape, hurrying on before Sirius react to the slight against James.

**As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. Spray from the high waves splattered the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows. Aunt Petunia found a few mouldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa. She and Uncle Vernon went off to the lumpy bed next door and Harry was left to find the softest bit of floor he could and to curl up under the thinnest, most ragged blanket.**

"Bastards," Sirius said, fuming.

"I agree, as painful as it is," said Severus, his eyes flashing. "I didn't expect anything better for Harry, but to put your comfort above your child's… If he was any sort of decent he'd have put Dudley in the bed with his mum, given Harry the couch and taken the floor himself. At any rate the person on the floor should get the warmest blanket as they're in the coldest spot."

"How chivalrous of you Snivellus. If you're so gallant how'd you end up in Slytherin?" Sirius mocked.

Severus surveyed his companion coldly. "I said it was the right thing to do, not that I would do it."

**The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Harry couldn't sleep. He shivered and turned over, trying to get comfortable, his stomach rumbling with hunger. Dudley's snores were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight. The lighted dial of Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Harry he'd be eleven in ten minutes' time. He lay and watched his birthday tick nearer, wondering if the Dursleys would remember at all, wondering where the letter-writer was now.**

**Five minutes to go. Harry heard something creak outside. He hoped the roof wasn't going to fall in, although he might be warmer if it did. Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that he'd be able to steal one somehow.**

"Finally, an idea that might work," Severus said.

**Three minutes to go. Was that the sea, slapping hard against the rock like that?**

"Probably," said Sirius.

**And (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise? Was that the rock crumbling into the sea?**

**One minute to go and he'd be eleven. Thirty seconds… twenty… ten - nine - maybe he'd wake Dudley up, just to annoy him -**

"Oh please do," said Sirius.

Severus gave an amused smirk.

**- three - two - one -**

**BOOM.**

**The whole shack shivered and Harry sat bolt upright, staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in.**

"That's it," said Severus.

"Well it's about time. I don't suppose we could read another chapter?"

"Not unless you want to raise questions by missing dinner," Severus said.

Sirius shook his head.

Snape smiled grimly, "Didn't think so. Same time tomorrow then?" Sirius nodded and Snape swept from the room. The Gryffindor followed soon after.


	5. The Keeper Of The Keys

Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling, and all credit for the bolded text goes to her.

Any and all feedback is very much appreciated.

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read, review, favourite and/or alert.

AN: I apologise again for the ridiculous amount of time in between postings, but I'm grateful for everyone who has read and reviewed or favourited or added this to their alerts. I hope everyone else is as excited about the new movie coming out as I am! I've gone through the other chapters and edited them, because one lovely reviewer pointed out some mistakes that I made (it has been way too long since I last wrote anything that contained dialogue). Nothing really important has changed though.

* * *

Sirius was already waiting when Severus entered the Room of Requirement. Severus gave the Gryffindor a stiff nod before settling down into an armchair. Wasting no time on pointless pleasantries, Sirius began to read.

**Chapter Four: The Keeper of the Keys**

**BOOM. They knocked again. Dudley jerked awake.**

'**Where's the cannon?' he said stupidly.**

**There was a crash behind them and Uncle Vernon came skidding into the room. He was holding a rifle in his hands - now they knew what was in the long, thin package he had brought with them.**

"A rifle?" Sirius asked.

"It's a type of gun, a metal weapon that Muggles use to kill each other," Severus explained with distaste. "It's something most people would want to keep away from their children."

'**Who's there?' He shouted. 'I warn you - I'm armed!'**

"Wouldn't the wizard be able to block the weapon?" Sirius enquired.

"Yes," said Severus. "But the bullets would probably bounce off of a shield charm and hit someone else."

**There was a pause. Then -**

**SMASH!**

**The door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and with a deafening crash landed flat on the floor.**

**A giant of a man was standing in the doorway. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair.**

"Hagrid, excellent," Sirius said with a grin.

**The giant squeezed his way into the hut, stooping so that his head just brushed the ceiling. He bent down, picked up the door and fitted it easily back into its frame. The noise of the storm outside dropped a little. He turned to look at them all.**

'**Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy journey…'**

"Excellent!" Sirius said again, dropping his rather terrible attempt at Hagrid's usual manner of speaking.

**He strode over to the sofa where Dudley sat frozen with fear.**

'**Budge up, yeh great lump,' said the stranger.**

**Dudley squeaked and ran to hide behind his mother, who was crouching, terrified, behind Uncle Vernon.**

'**An' here's Harry!' said the giant.**

**Harry looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face and saw that the beetle eyes were crinkled in a smile.**

'**Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby,' said the giant. 'Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mum's eyes.'**

**Uncle Vernon made a funny rasping noise.**

"What?" Sirius asked waspishly, noticing Severus's exasperated look.

"I was wondering what would posses you to make such a horrid attempt at a West Country accent?" Severus replied in a drawling tone.

Sirius bristled. "I suppose you could do a better job?"

Snape's lip curled. "Obviously."

Sirius snorted derisively.

'**I demand that you leave at once, sir!' he said. 'You are breaking and entering!'**

'**Ah shut up Dursley, yeh great prune,' said the giant.**

Sirius smirked as he continued to imitate Hagrid's speech, much to Snape's displeasure.

**He reached over the back of the sofa, jerked the gun out of Uncle Vernon's hands, bent it into a knot as easily as if it had been made of rubber, and threw it into a corner of the room.**

"**Well at least that's out of the way." Severus muttered darkly.**

**Uncle Vernon made another funny noise, like a mouse being trodden on.**

'**Anyway - Harry,' said the giant, turning his back on the Dursleys, 'a very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here - I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right.'**

**From an inside pocket of his black overcoat he pulled a slightly squashed box. Harry opened it with trembling fingers. Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with **_**Happy Birthday Harry **_**written on it in green icing.**

Sirius smiled a little ruefully, glad that Hagrid would tell Harry the truth, but he wished that it wasn't necessary.

**Harry looked up at the giant. He meant to say thank you, but the words got lost on the way to his mouth, and what he said instead was, 'Who are you?'**

**The giant chuckled.**

'**True, I haven't introduced myself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts.'**

**He held out an enormous hand and shook Harry's whole arm.**

'**What about that tea then, eh?' he said, rubbing his hands together. 'I'd not say no to summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind.'**

**His eyes fell on the empty grate with the shrivelled crisp packets in it and he snorted. He bent over the fireplace; they couldn't see what he was doing but when he drew back a second later, there was a roaring fire there. It filled the whole damp hut with flickering light and Harry felt the warmth wash over him as though he'd sunk into a hot bath.**

**The giant sat back on the sofa, which sagged under his weight, and began taking all sorts of things out of the pockets of his coat: a copper kettle, a squashy package of sausages, a poker, a teapot, several chipped mugs and a bottle of some amber liquid which he took a swig from before starting to make tea.**

Snape snorted, "As interesting as I find this description of Hagrid," he said, "I think it would be prudent to notice that Harry _doesn't have his letter_."

Sirius realized that the Slytherin was correct, but did not mention it because he was sure that Hagrid would get around to it eventually.

**Soon the hut was full of the sound of sizzling sausage. Nobody said a thing while the giant was working, but as he slid the first six fat, slightly burnt sausages from the poker, Dudley fidgeted a little. Uncle Vernon said sharply, 'Don't tough anything he gives you, Dudley.'**

Sirius chuckled, he could not help it. Snape looked at him strangely.

"When it comes to Hagrid's cooking, that's good advice. You don't want to eat anything he's prepared," Sirius advised.

"I see," said Snape.

**The giant chuckled darkly.**

'**Yer great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' any more, Dursley, don' worry.'**

**He passed the sausages to Harry,**

Sirius groaned loudly.

**Who was so hungry he had never tasted anything so wonderful,**

Sirius stared at the book in his hands.

"So," Severus remarked, "Harry is either really hungry, or Hagrid's cooking improves drastically."

"I don't know if it's possible to be that hungry," Sirius said, shaking his head slightly.

**But he still couldn't take his eyes off the giant. Finally, as no one seemed about to explain anything, he said, 'I'm sorry, but I still don't really know who you are.'**

**The giant took a gulp of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.**

'**Call me Hagrid,' he said, 'everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm keeper of keys at Hogwarts - yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course.'**

'**Er - no,' said Harry.**

**Hagrid looked shocked.**

Sirius grinned in anticipation.

'**Sorry,' Harry said quickly.**

'_**Sorry**_**?' barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows. 'It's them as should be sorry! I knew yeh weren't getting' yer letters, but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yer parents learnt it all?'**

'**All what?' asked Harry.**

'**ALL WHAT?' Hagrid thundered. 'Now wait jus' one second!'**

**He had leapt to his feet. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut. The Dursleys were cowering against the wall.**

'**Do you mean ter tell me,' he growled at the Dursleys, 'that this boy - this boy! - knows nothing' about' - about ANYTHING?'**

Severus winced as Sirius bellowed the last word.

**Harry thought this was going a bit far. He had been to school, after all, and his marks weren't bad.**

'**I know **_**some**_** things,' he said. 'I can, you know, do maths and stuff.'**

"Not really what he meant pup," said Sirius, interrupting his reading.

Severus rolled his eyes.

**But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said, 'About **_**our**_** world, I mean. **_**Your**_** world. **_**My**_** world. **_**Yer parents' world**_**.'**

'**What world?'**

Sirius looked morose.

**Hagrid looked as if he was about to explode.**

'**DURSLEY!' he boomed.**

"Do you really have to yell?" Severus questioned irritably.

"Snivellus, if something is written in capital letters, then it is meant to be said loudly. It's how the author intended the book to be read, and it adds to the authenticity."

Snape quirked an eyebrow. "So…"

"Yes, it is necessary." Sirius said, grinning deviously.

**Uncle Vernon, who had gone very pale, whispered something that sounded like 'Mimblewimble'. Hagrid stared wildly at Harry.**

'**But yeh must know about yer mum and dad,' he said. 'I mean, they're **_**famous**_**. **_**You're**_** famous.'**

"Well that's a very tactful way to let him know," Severus said sarcastically, earning himself a glare from the Gryffindor.

'**What? My - my mum and dad weren't famous, were they?'**

'**Yeh don' know… yeh don' know…' Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, fixing Harry with a bewildered stare.**

'**Yeh don' know who yeh **_**are**_**?' he said finally.**

**Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice.**

'**Stop!' he commanded. 'Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell the boy anything!'**

Severus chuckled darkly.

"That's not going to work on Hagrid, Dursley," Sirius said.

**A braver man than Uncle Vernon would have quailed under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled with rage.**

'**You never told him? Never told him what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer him? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from him all these years?'**

'**Kept **_**what**_** from me?' said Harry eagerly.**

'**STOP! I FORBID YOU!' yelled Uncle Vernon in panic.**

**Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of horror.**

'**Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh,' said Hagrid. 'Harry - yer a wizard.'**

**There was silence inside the hut. Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard.**

'**I'm a **_**what**_**?' gasped Harry.**

Sirius gave a funny little gasp before he doubled over laughing. He dropped the book and clutched at his stomach, wheezing. He wasn't sure exactly what had set him off, but he couldn't help it. Severus looked at him strangely, but it wasn't long before he was laughing as well.

When he had regained enough control over himself, Sirius sat up, wiped his streaming eyes and looked over at Severus, who was clutching his stomach, still chuckling.

"So you can laugh, I had wondered," said the Gryffindor. The aristocratic tone of had dropped from his voice, leaving it slightly coarse.

The Slytherin tried to glare in response, but the effect was rather diminished by the fact that he was still trying to catch his breath.

"When someone who is expecting an attack, they would do well to avoid laughter, don't you think?" he said.

"I suppose so," Sirius conceded. "It's not actually funny you know," he said, losing the battle against another, smaller round of chuckling. "But there's something in their reactions…"

"I think it's Petunia," Severus interrupted. "What was her reaction again?"

"Erm, she, well - oh, here it is - 'Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of horror'." Sirius repeated dramatically.

Severus adopted a terrified expression and gave a large, false gasp that sent both boys into hopeless laughter again.

"It's a shame," said Severus. "It was such wonderful dramatic build up - if we hadn't known what would be revealed, it really would have made for a wonderful culmination."

"I think you're right - not that I'll admit it again," said Sirius as he stooped to pick up the book from where it had fallen. "But can you imagine that much fuss to find out you're a wizard?" the Gryffindor shook his head ruefully. "It's got to be a great moment, really, the world must seem limitless. Makes me wish I was a Muggle-born."

He flipped to the page where he had dropped off and glanced at his companion. Severus nodded to show he was okay to continue, and the Gryffindor began to read again.

'**A wizard, o' course,' said Hagrid, sitting back down on the sofa, which groaned and sank even lower, 'an' a thumpin' good'un, I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit. With a mum and dad like yours, what else would yeh be? An' I reckon it's abou' time yeh read yer letter.'**

**Harry stretched out his hand at last to take the yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green to **_**Mr H. Potter, The Floor, Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea**_**.**

"Someone should keep track of the most interesting addresses that these letters are sent to," stated Sirius airily. "That one would definitely make the top ten."

**He pulled out the letter and read:**

_**HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY**_

_**Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore  
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwamp, International Confed. of Wizards)**_

_**Dear Mr Potter,**_

_**We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find an enclosed list of all necessary books and equipment.**_

_**Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.**_

_**Yours sincerely,**_

**Minerva McGonagall  
Deputy Headmistress**

Sirius and Severus both held a far away look in their eye, remembering their own Hogwarts letters.

**Questions exploded inside Harry's head like fireworks and he couldn't decide which to ask first. After a few minutes he stammered, 'What does it mean, they await my owl?'**

'**Gallopin' gargoyles, that reminds me,' said Hagrid, clapping a hand to his forehead with enough force to knock over a cart horse, and from yet another pocket inside his overcoat he pulled an owl - a real, live, rather ruffed-looking owl - a long quill and a roll of parchment. With his tongue between his teeth he scribbled a note which Harry could read upside down:**

_**Dear Mr Dumbledore,**_

_**Given Harry his letter. Taking him to buy his things tomorrow. Weather's horrible. Hope you're well.**_

_**Hagrid**_

**Hagrid rolled up the note, gave it to the owl, which clamped it in its beak, went to the door and threw the owl out into the storm. Then he came back and sat down as though this was as normal as talking on he telephone.**

"Well, to be fair, for us it is that normal," stated Sirius.

**Harry realised his mouth was open and closed it quickly.**

'**Where was I?' said Hagrid, but at that moment, Uncle Vernon, still ashen-faced but looking very angry, moved into the firelight.**

'**He's not going,' he said.**

**Hagrid grunted.**

'**I'd like to see a great Muggle like you stop him,' he said.**

'**A what?' said Harry, interested.**

'**A Muggle,' said Hagrid. 'It's what we call non-magic folk like them. An' it's your bad luck you grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on.'**

'**We swore when we took him in we'd put a stop to that rubbish,' said Uncle Vernon, 'swore we'd stamp it out of him! Wizard, indeed.'**

'**You **_**knew**_**?' said Harry. 'You **_**knew**_** I'm a - a wizard?'**

'**Knew!' shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. '**_**Knew**_**! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was? Oh, she got a letter just like tat and she disappeared off to that - that **_**school**_** - and came home every holiday with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats. I was the only one who saw her for what she was - a freak! But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!'**

**She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed she had been wanting to say all this for years.**

'**Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as - as - **_**abnormal**_** - and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you!'**

"Well shit," remarked Sirius. "She's got a couple pent up issues hasn't she?"

Severus curled his lip, "She's still jealous that she didn't get a letter, so she takes it out on her nephew. She can't be something, so she decides that there is something wrong with that thing, rather than admit that she might have shortcomings." he finished bitterly.

"They're exactly like my family. The irony is that they would both go to the grave swearing to be nothing like each other." Sirius stated darkly, going back to the book.

**Harry had gone very white. As soon as he found his voice he said, 'Blown up? You told me they died in a car crash!'**

Sirius paled as well, "Damn, I'd forgotten he didn't know…"

Severus looked solemn, the look on his face revealed that he had also forgotten.

'**CAR CRASH!' roared Hagrid, jumping up so angrily that the Dursleys scuttled back to their corner. 'How could a car crash kill James an' Lily Potter? It's an outrage! A scandal! Harry Potter not knowin' his own story when every kid in our world knows his name!'**

Sirius revelled in reading as Hagrid chewed the Dursleys out, it provided a small sense of satisfaction; the only satisfaction he would get, because he was going to make certain that Harry never set foot in their home.

'**But why? What happened?' Harry asked urgently.**

**The anger faded from Hagrid's face. He looked suddenly anxious.**

'**I never expected this,' he said, in a low, worried voice. 'I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be some trouble getting' hold of yeh, how much yeh didn't know. Ah, Harry, I don' know if I'm the right person to tell yeh - but someone's gotta - yeh can't go off to Hogwarts not knowin'.'**

**He threw a dirty look at the Dursleys.**

'**Well, it's best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh - mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it…'**

Severus unknowingly leaned closer, so he wouldn't miss a word that was said.

**He sat down, stared into the fire for a few seconds and then said, 'It begins, I suppose, with - with a person called - but it's incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows-'**

'**Who?'**

'**Well - I don't like saying the name if I can help it. No one does.'**

Sirius's voice had slipped out of his attempt at Hagrid's West Country accent and fell back into his usual manner of speaking.

'**Why not?'**

'**Gulping Gargoyles, Harry, people are still scared. Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizard who went… bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was…'**

**Hagrid gulped, but no words came out.**

'**Could you write it down?' Harry suggested.**

'**Nah - can't spell it. All right - **_**Voldemort**_**.'**

"Blimey," said Sirius. "I don' think Hagrid's ever said the name before."

Severus nodded tersely, wanting Sirius to continue reading so that he could find out the full story.

**Hagrid shuddered. 'Don't make me say it again. Anyway, this - this wizard, about twenty years ago now, he started looking for followers. Got them, too - some were afraid, some just wanted a bit of his power, because he was getting himself power, all right. Dark days, Harry. Didn't know who to trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches… Terrible things happened. He was taking over. Of course, some stood up to him - and he killed them. Horribly. One of the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try taking the school, not just then, anyway.**

'**Now, your mum and dad were as good a witch and wizard as I ever knew. Head boy and girl at Hogwarts in their day! Suppose the mystery is why You-Know-Who never tried to get them on his side before… probably knew they were too close to Dumbledore to want anything to do with the Dark Side.'**

Severus snorted, "Either that or he hates all Muggle-borns."

He looked as though he wanted to continue, but Sirius shot a sharp look his way and he quieted down.

'**Maybe he thought he could persuade them… maybe he just wanted them out of the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you were living, on Halowe'en ten years ago. You were just a year old. He came to your house and - and-'**

**Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his nose with a sound like a foghorn.**

'**Sorry,' he said. 'But it's that sad - knew your mum and dad, and nicer people you couldn't find - anyway-**

'**You-Know-Who killed them. And then - and this is the real mystery of the thing - he tried to kill you, too. Wanted to make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killing by then. But he couldn't do it. Never wondered how you got that mark on your forehead? That was no ordinary cut. That's what you get when a powerful, evil curse touches you - took care of your mum and dad and you house, even - but it didn't work on you, and that's why you're famous, Harry. No one ever lived after he decided to kill them, no one except you, and he killed some of the best witches and wizards of the age -'**

Sirius's voice cracked when he saw the list of names. He swallowed coarsely, wishing he had a glass of water, but nevertheless he continued in a voice far more hoarse than usual.

'**The McKinnons, the Bones, the Prewetts - and you was only a baby, and you lived.'**

**Something very painful was going on in Harry's mind. As Hagrid's story came to a close, he saw the blinding flash of green light, more clearly than he had ever remembered it before - and he remembered something else, for the first time in his life - a high, cold, cruel laugh.**

The Gryffindor and the Slytherin sat in silence for a few moments. Sirius blinked furiously, as though he was trying to chase some foreign object out of them. Severus was hiding his emotions behind a carefully sculpted barrier of feigned indifference, but a miniscule flicker of grief in the depths of his eyes gave his feelings away.

Sirius needed to break the oppressive silence. He cleared his throat once; twice; then read in a voice that was still rougher than usual.

**Hagrid was watching him sadly.**

'**Took yeh from the ruined house myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh ter this lot…'**

Severus looked up at Sirius's renewed attempts at the accent. He rolled his eyes, but a small grin nearly escaped him. It didn't last long though, the next paragraph caused his face to settle into a deep scowl.

'**Load of old tosh,' said Uncle Vernon. Harry jumped, he had almost forgotten that the Dursleys were there. Uncle Vernon certainly seemed to have got back his courage. He was glaring at Hagrid and his fists were clenched.**

Sirius muttered something under his breath that sounded to Severus like, "Give it a rest Dursley."

'**Now, you listen here, boy,' he snarled. 'I accept there's something strange about you, probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured-'**

Severus opened his mouth to speak, but Sirius held out a hand to stop him. He wanted to get through Vernon's monologue quickly.

'**And as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdos, no denying it, and the world's better off without them in my opinion - asked for all they got, getting mixed up with these wizarding types - just what I expected, always knew they'd come to a sticky end-'**

Severus growled deep within his throat.

**But at that moment, Hagrid leapt up from the sofa and drew a bettered pink umbrella from inside his coat. Pointing this at Uncle Vernon like a sword, he said, 'I'm warning you, Dursley - I'm warning you - one more word…'**

**In danger of being speared on the end of an umbrella by a bearded giant, Uncle Vernon's courage failed again; he flattened himself against the wall and fell silent.**

Sirius chuckled darkly, "I think he's got a bit more to be worried about than being speared. He knows Hagrid can do magic, not to mention he could rip Dursley apart without breaking a sweat if he needed to."

Severus gave a small nod in agreement.

'**That's better,' said Hagrid, breathing heavily and sitting back down on the sofa which this time sagged right down to the floor.**

**Harry, meanwhile, still had questions to ask, hundreds of them.**

'**But what happened to Vol - sorry - I mean You-Know-Who?'**

Severus leaned in again, anxious to know the answer himself.

'**Good question, Harry. Disappeared. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill you. Makes yeh even more famous. That's the biggest mist'ry, see… he was getting' more an' more powerful - why'd he go?**

'**Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die. Some say he's still out there, bidin' his time, like, but I don' believe it. People who was on his side came back ter ours. Some of 'em came outta kinda trances. Don' reckon they could've done if he was comin' back.**

'**Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. 'Cause something' about you finished him, Harry. There was something' goin' on that night he hadn't counted on - **_**I**_** dunno what it was, no one does - but something' about you stumped him, all right.'**

The two readers sat in thoughtful silence.

"You know," said Sirius, "I'd bet that Dumbledore knows exactly what happened that night, and why."

Severus raised his eyebrows.

"He's brilliant, Dumbledore is," the Gryffindor continued. "There's no way he just let something like this be, he'd need to know why; everyone knows that he's the one who's really leading the fight against Voldemort. Oh he knows, alright."

And with that, he recommenced reading.

**Hagrid looked at Harry with warmth and respect blazing in his eyes, but Harry, instead of feeling pleased and proud, felt quite sure there had been a horrible mistake. A wizard? Him? How could he possibly be? He'd spent his life being clouted by Dudley and bullied by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon; if he was really a wizard, why hadn't they turned into warty toads every time they'd tried to lock him in his cupboard? If he'd once defeated the greatest sorcerer in the world, how come Dudley had always been able to kick him around like a football?**

"Because it doesn't work that way," Snape said, almost bitterly.

'**Hagrid,' he said quietly, 'I think you must have made a mistake. I don't think I can be a wizard.'**

**To his surprise, Hagrid chuckled.**

'**Not a wizard, eh? Never made things happen when you was scared, or angry?'**

**Harry looked into the fire. Now he came to think about it… every odd thing that had ever made his aunt and uncle furious with him had happened when he, Harry, had been upset or angry… chased by Dudley's gang, he somehow found himself out of their reach… dreading going to school with that ridiculous haircut, he'd managed to make it grow back… and the very last time Dudley had hit him, hadn't he got his revenge, without even realising he was doing it? Hadn't he set a boa constrictor on him?**

**Harry looked back at Hagrid, smiling, and saw that Hagrid was positively beaming at him.**

'**See?' said Hagrid. 'Harry Potter, not a wizard - you wait, you'll be right famous at Hogwarts.'**

"And God help everyone there,' Severus muttered under his breath, using a muggle saying he heard often at home. If Harry was anything like his father, the fame would go to his head faster than you could say 'poison'.

It seemed (and it was possibly lucky) that Sirius didn't hear him.

**But Uncle Vernon wasn't going to give in without a fight.**

'**Haven't I told you he's not going?' he hissed. 'He's going to Stonewall High and he'll be grateful for it. I've read those letters and he needs all sorts of rubbish - spell books and wands and-'**

'**If he wants ter go, a great Muggle like you won't stop him,' growled Hagrid. 'Stop Lily an' James Potter's son goin' ter Hogwarts! Yer mad. His name's been down ever since he was born. He's off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Seven years there and he won't know himself. He'll be with youngsters of his own sort, fer a change, an' he'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had, Albus Dumbled-'**

'**I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!' Yelled Uncle Vernon.**

Severus, who had barely resisted the urge to clap his hands over his ears as Sirius started yelling, was surprised to see the Gryffindor chuckle as he finished.

"I don't suppose you'd share the insanity that convinced you Dursley is funny, Black?"

Sirius shook his head, but kept reading.

**But he had finally gone too far. Hagrid seized his umbrella and whirled it over his head. 'NEVER-' he thundered, '-INSULT - ALBUS - DUMBLEDORE - IN - FRONT - OF - ME!'**

**He brought the umbrella swishing down through the air to point at Dudley - there was a flash of violet light, a sound like a firecracker, a sharp squeal and next second, Dudley was dancing on the spot with his hands clamped over his fat bottom, howling in pain. When he turned his back on them, Harry saw a curly pig's tail poking through a hole in his trousers.**

**Uncle Vernon roared. Pulling Aunt Petunia and Dudley into the other room, he cast one terrified look at Hagrid and slammed the door behind them.**

**Hagrid looked down at his umbrella and stroked his beard.**

'**Shouldn'ta lost me temper,' he said ruefully, 'but it didn't work anyway. Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much to do.'**

Sirius was grinning wildly, but when he looked at Severus, the Slytherin had a very different expression on his face.

"Oh I know he deserved to have something happen to him," Severus explained, "but Hagrid wasn't trying to punish him, he was trying to get back at Dursley."

"Sorry?" asked Sirius, looking confused.

"Dudley did not say a word the whole time Hagrid was in the hut, but Hagrid didn't curse Petunia or Vernon, he chose Dudley. I thought Gryffindors were against using children to scare people into behaving. You lot don't like it when we do." Severus stated disdainfully.

"Oh just read the rest of the chapter," he demanded, when he saw a conflicted expression appear on Sirius's face. "If this was fictional, it would be considered justice for Dudley's actions, but for us, this is the future."

**He cast a sideways look at Harry under his bushy eyebrows.**

'**Be grateful if yeh didn't mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts,' he said. 'I'm - er - not supposed ter do magic, strictly speakin'. I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh an' get yer letters to yeh an' stuff - one o' the reasons I was so keen ter take on the job-'**

'**Why aren't you supposed to do magic?' asked Harry.**

'**Oh, well - I was at Hogwarts meself but I - er - got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an' everything. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore.'**

'**Why were you expelled?'**

'**It's getting' late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow,' said Hagrid loudly. 'Gotta get up ter town, get all yer books an' that.'**

**He took off his thick black coat and threw it to Harry.**

'**You can kip under that,' he said. 'Don' mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o' dormice in one o' the pockets.'**

"Still?" asked Snape. "How old are these mice?"

Sirius shrugged. "They can't be from when he was a student - mice don't live that long. I'd love to know why he was expelled, though he'll never tell."

"I wonder why," Severus remarked dryly. "If that's the end, then I'll be going - this chapter took far longer than expected."

Sirius nodded as the Slytherin left the room.


	6. Important Authors Note

Alright, it's been an age and a half since I updated this, and unfortunately not only am I out of ideas but (as you may have noticed already) many reading the books fics have been deleted in the past weeks. Though I have remained relatively invisible here on FFN (not a complaint, just a fact) I can't ignore that might happen to this one.

I don't really have an immediate plan for this, and I have a couple other projects I'd like to work on. I don't intend on leaving this forever, but for now I just can't get my mind to work on this. I'll try again, but first I'd like to find another place to upload. I'm working on getting an Ao3 (username will probably stay the same), but the waiting list is crazy long, and I don't know what heir policy on this type of fic is. So, if anyone knows of some place that these fics can be uploaded to, and could tell me, that would be utterly fantastic. I'll update when I know more.

I really want to thank everyone who favourited, reviewed and added this story or me to their alerts, it really is fantastic. I think FFN is making a mistake in banning this type of fic, because not only do they provide great opportunities for character development, but they also are a lot of fun to read and write, and they provoke really excellent response and dialogue between reader and writer, however, since it is their site, tbtb have the ability to do what they wish.

I'd like to take just one more moment of your time and ask you to continue reading your favourite authors, even through the recent craziness. They aren't to blame for FFN's policies, and, despite it's faults, it's pretty much the best place to get stuff out there due to the large amount of traffic and (mostly) fantastic community. So thanks, and happy reading.

-Olivea


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